Campaign group welcome pub re-opening but say concerns remain over development plans

The Invincible, on Wickham Street, Portsmouth. Picture: Chris Moorhouse

A GROUP backing pubs have spoken of their concern for plans to turn a re-opened Portsmouth pub into housing.

As reported in The News, The Invincible is due to open today after it was closed at short notice last month.

Following its closure, an outline application for a 12-storey bedsit was submitted to Portsmouth City Council.

Despite this, the pub’s owner Ei Group decided to re-open the site on Wickham Street with new owners Michael Kearns and Amber Cotton-Briggs taking over earlier this week.

Martyn Constable, chairman of CAMRA’s Portsmouth and south east Hampshire branch, welcomed the re-opening but was cautious about the pub’s long-term future.

‘While it is great news that the Invincible pub will be reopened, we are incredibly concerned that it is still threatened by re-development,’ he said.

‘Pubs are vital to communities and economies and in many areas they provide the last remaining public meeting space.

‘They have a hugely positive impact on people’s personal wellbeing, from helping individuals make friends to providing a support network for long-term locals.

‘It is imperative that we do what we can to help struggling pubs stay open and arrest the alarming number of pubs closing across the UK.’