By Carmelo Garcia – Local Democracy Reporter
A Gloucester city centre publican has been forced to keep his beer garden closed to the public due to falling debris from a nearby multistorey car park.
Longsmith Street car park was closed due to health and safety concerns in September 2023. It was partially reopened in May last year.
But Steve Wood, 68, landlord of the Cross Keys Inn next door has had to keep the beer garden closed due to falling debris.
Mr Wood said it has been “a tough road” running the pub ever since he took it on just days before Covid restrictions were introduced in 2020.
“We opened on March 13 and Covid hit us on March 20,” he said. “We’ve survived but it’s been a tough road.”
He said the situation has not been helped by the health and safety hazard posed by the state of the car park, as a bridge link overhangs his beer garden.
“When they shut down the car park because of the bits falling off of it, we noticed that there were bits in the garden, and of course you don’t want a piece falling down on the customer,” he said.
“So, as a matter of course, I just shut the garden on the health and safety issues and the car park reopened.
“But I’ve kept the garden closed at the moment. I brought my car inside and the picnic table has been turned over, so we don’t let customers out. We keep the door locked,
“I’m not going to send people out there and put them in jeopardy of getting hurt or injured.”
Councillor Alastair Chambers (Community Independents, Matson, Robinswood and White City) raised concerns about the issue affecting Longsmith Street car park at this week’s Gloucester City Council cabinet meeting.
He told the meeting he has repeatedly raised health and safety concerns over the city council’s assets.
“As you know it led to the closure of the car park in 2023. We were offered sight of structural reports,” he said.
“Rolling on nearly two years later, after frequent requests, I’ve been asking for these.
“I’m raising valid health and safety concerns about bird netting that has not been maintained and is holding significant weight of construction, delaminated concrete.”
He asked council leaders to please take his concerns seriously and issue the reports.
Council leader Jeremy Hilton (LD, Kingsholm and Wotton) said the council has carried out inspections and repairs.
He said the officers report is that the repairs have been done.
“If you have new evidence about new issues related to that you should make a specific one rather than a generalised complaint,” Cllr Hilton said.
“May I point out to you that £293,000 has been spent on carrying out the safety inspections and looking at the issues you’ve raised and a number of repairs have been carried out because of that.”
A spokesperson for Gloucester City Council said they carry out regular safety inspections and works will be carried out in accordance with advice from structural engineers
“We conduct regular safety inspections with external structural engineers and any recommendations for works that they make are carried out,” they said. “Any work required on the bridge link will be communicated with all affected occupiers in advance and any control measures for public safety will be implemented.”
“If any issues are raised over the netting by the structural engineers following their safety inspections then these will be dealt with in accordance with their instructions.”