Regulars at a Bath pub are rallying round to try to stop it being turned into a four-bedroom home.
Almost 100 people have already signed a petition calling for The Richmond Arms, at Richmond Place, to be kept as a local for those living in the area.
The pub's owner Punch Taverns has had it on the market for £500,000 for the past two years but says there have been no serious takers.
So an application has been submitted to Bath and North East Somerset Council asking for permission to turn it into housing.
Angela MacAusland, who lives in Blenheim Gardens, has been a Richmond Arms customer since she moved to that side of Bath 22 years ago.
She believes that with the right owners in place the pub could be a success.
"It used to be run by a couple who lived there," she said. "If it was run like that again, if it became a family business, then it would work."
A pub has been on the site for more than 100 years and it is used as a meeting place for people living nearby, members of Lansdown Tennis Club, parents who have been to events at St Stephen's Primary School and those who attend St Stephen's Church.
Mrs MacAusland said everyone had been "shocked and disappointed" when they heard about the planning application so had quickly mobilised themselves to try to save their local.
She said: "The pub has always been a focal point for the local community.
"It is a local facility and we all use it, and for some people it really is a lifeline, somewhere they can go to see people and be part of a community."
The regulars have put a petition behind the bar and are encouraging people to tell the council how they feel about the plans by commenting on the application.
They are also looking into whether they can apply for the pub to be added to the council's List of Assets of Community Value, following in the footsteps of the now-closed Packhorse Inn, in South Stoke.
Although they believe the pub would probably work best as a family-run business, they are also wondering if any small, local breweries would be interested in getting involved.
A number of people have already objected to the application online, many citing the community benefits a local pub provides.
Barbara Madigan said: "The Richmond Arms is a well-loved and well-used pub with fantastic food and is a focal point for the community around Richmond Place."
While Matthew Jones added: "The pub promotes community cohesion, something hard to replicate in modern life."
Stephen Hunt has objected to the plans on behalf of the local branch of the Campaign for Real Ale.
He said: "The Richmond Arms has been a well-loved and well-used pub over many generations.
"In the right hands it certainly has the potential to be a viable, and most probably successful, pub business. Above all it should be regarded as a vital community asset to the neighbourhood of northern Bath."
People have until May 23 to comment on the plans and can do so by going to the planning section of www.bathnes.gov.uk and searching for Richmond Arms.
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