Flats bid appears to call time on gay-friendly pub the Bath Tap

A pub once popular with Bath's gay community could be turned into apartments.

The Bath Tap in St James's Parade closed last April after Enterprise Inns failed to find a new landlord to run it.

However, new owners Ashley and Jetta Baker, from Oldfield Park, have applied to convert the five-storey building into two separate apartments.

In an application for a change of use, submitted on their behalf to Bath and North East Somerset Council by architect Nigel Spragg, the couple outline plans to create a three-bedroom apartment and a six-bedroom apartment.

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Mr Spragg said: "Mr and Mrs Baker are the new owners and intend to turn the property in to two flats. An application for change of use has already been made following positive feedback from a pre-planning application."

The grade two listed building was originally a Georgian townhouse and was used as a home until being converted into a pub, the Devonshire Arms. The pub has also been known as The Rugby Arms and The 19th House.

B&NES has strict planning policy on pubs being granted change of use in an attempt to protect community facilities, but in their application the Bakers claim The Bath Tap is no longer viable as a business.

According to the application, the pub has been relet six times in the last eight years, and has been on the market as a licensed premises for nine out of the past 14 months with no interest.

The application said: "This all goes to demonstrate that there is no realistic prospect of a public house being successfully and attractively operated from the premises."

In April 2010 former hotel manager David Rolfe took over the pub renaming it The 19th House and gave it a complete image change, but by December 2011 he had left and James Leach, and Andrew Coles had stepped in.

The pair gave the pub back its original name and reintroduced a gay-friendly theme.

Members of the public have until March 15 to comment on the application.

To see the application in full, visit www.bathnes.gov.uk and search 13/00435/LBA.