Bristol council approves Lakota nightclub flats plan

A much-loved nightclub is set to become flats after plans were given the green light by council bosses, despite "significant objections".

The Lakota in Stokes Croft, Bristol, is to be converted into 30 homes and space for businesses.

Campaign group Save Bristol Nightlife described closing the club, which opened in 1992, as a "huge loss".

Owners the Burgess family said the development is several years away and the site will remain open for a while.

The plans were approved by Bristol City Council in a Zoom meeting on Wednesday.

The proposals attracted 290 objections and an 8,000-signature petition.

Objectors claimed the club was a "culturally important venue" and should be "afforded protection as a community and or a cultural facility".

However, the scheme was approved by six councillors to three, with one abstention.

Green councillor Fi Hance, who voted "with a heavy heart" for the scheme, said despite the "sentimental attachment to the Lakota" the club's owners "clearly no longer wish to run it".

Labour councillor Mike Davies, who also voted in favour, said the approval would be a "disappoint to some people" but there were a "lot of clear benefits of the scheme".

Posting on Facebook, Save Bristol Nightlife wrote: "The city says it cares about the night time economy, the jobs it provides and the cultural scene but it didn't even get a mention.

"Thanks for all the hundreds of you that wrote objections. We are sorry it is such a disappointing and angry-making result."