THE potential sell-off of the Wiltshire Yeoman pub in Trowbridge could result in the heart of the Broadmead community being lost according to the local councillor.

Greene King, who own the Chilmark Road pub, confirmed that this week that the pub has been put on the market due to it being “less sustainable” than their other properties.

However, Cllr John Knight, who is responsible for the division in Cllr Helen Osborn’s absence, said he feels that if the pub was bought by the wrong hands then it could ruin the landscape of the estate.

“I think what would happen if they sold it to a private developer is that they would be looking to turn it into houses or flats and that would be a big danger,” he added.

“The pub is a local amenity and as far as I am concerned, I would hate to see it go. In this day and age, people see plots of land before they look at property and its benefits to people.

“The place is in the heart of the large estate and it is one of the better housing estates in Trowbridge because it has a lot of garden space and the pub is an oasis in the community.

“It would be a big loss is because it is a pub that offers good quality food. Turning the place into houses or turning it into something else would lose the ambience of the estate.”

He now hopes that concerned residents rally together to create a campaign group to make sure their views are heard about the potential loss of the pub.

Greene King, who also own the Black Horse pub in Trowbridge, confirmed they have no plans to close any of their other pubs in the town. They are marketing the 0.87 acre plot of land for £450,000 which could be used for an alternate use subject to gaining planning permission.

A spokesperson for Greene King said: “We regularly review our estate and may explore other options around the future of our less sustainable sites, or where they might better fulfil their potential for the local community under different ownership. Following such a review, a decision has been taken to put the Wiltshire Yeoman on the market. The pub remains open and we have no plans for it to cease trading.

“We will continue to ensure that our team is kept fully up to date on developments. There are no plans currently to sell any other pubs in the area."