Boarded up or converted into flats - what happened to our community pubs?

ALARMING DECLINE OF BUILDINGS THAT FORM PART OF CITY'S IDENTITY

- By GEORGE PALMER-SOADY

WOODEN boards covering smashed windows, graffiti-covered red bricks and worn-out signs it can sometimes feel as though we've become accustomed to forgotten and derelict pubs in our city.

Many of the once-booming local watering holes that acted as community hubs and popular meeting spots now sit disused and forgotten. In recent years, the exception to this trend has been the rise of micropubs and specialist craft beer pubs, many of which have blossomed in busy city centre areas.

Yet while campaigners say this offers hope for the hospitality industry, they fear the proper boozers that once made up much of Nottingham's character are only being remembered for their derelict state.

The Star Inn, near Nottingham Road and Northgate in Old Basford, is the most recent example to buck this trend. After "a few months of persuasion," the area's councillor, Shuguftah Quddoos convinced the owner of the derelict building to improve its previous state with a new lick of paint. "I'm sure you'd agree that it's looking much better," she added.