Regulars at a landmark St Albans pub are brewing up a storm after hearing it could be torn down to make way for affordable housing.

The King Offa pub in Wallingford Walk is under threat after it emerged St Albans District Council is planning to buy the lease to the pub and bulldoze the pub for housing.

The council already owns the freehold to the pub (pictured below) which is let on a long lease to a brewery and it is expected that the pub will come back into the council’s full ownership in June when it will be no longer operate as a licensed premises.

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But the plan has been met with an angry response from residents, many of whom are concerned about the number of pubs being shut down in the area in recent years - including the Blue Anchor and The Camp.

Brian Gear has been a regular at The King Offa it opened 1959. The 71-year-old said: "I have so many fond memories at the pub.

"Obviously it has had its hard times and it needed money thrown at it but this news has come as a massive shock.

"We are going to fight to keep it open until the day the bulldozers come. It is a community asset and will be a big loss if it goes."

Mr Gear, who lives in the Cottonmill Estate, said the pubs reputation was "unfounded". He added: "Generations have drunk here, it is steeped in history.

"The council has not submitted their planning application yet and that could be months so we are hoping it stays open for months."

In October last year an application to turn the pub into a community asset was refused by the district council.

Councillor Brian Ellis, portfolio holder for housing at the district council, said: "The council is looking to redevelop the pub site at Abbotts Avenue West to provide affordable housing and possibly a community facility.

"This is part of a wider scheme to invest in Sopwell and provide more affordable housing."

One pub user Nicolas Bell said he was concerned for the locals in the Cottonmill area. The 30-year-old account manager said: "There are a number of local groups whom are hugely dependent on this amenity.

"Whether it be the more senior customers who attend the King Offa the same times and days each week and have for years, if not decades.

"These people will lose their entire social life with nothing local to offer an alternative.

"The pub is not only used by people consuming alcohol, which proves the value as a social venue.

"A large percentage of locals do not drink and instead opt for tea or coffee - it is not just a drinking place, it is a meeting place.

"Furthermore The King Offa has acted as a family venue for events such as Christmas, weddings, christenings, funerals and birthdays for years - uniting the local community and increasing the mood and sense of community in the area. 

"There is also a huge amount of fundraising that takes place at the pub which creates a huge amount of pride in the local area, and of course funding for great causes.

"Removing The King Offa tears the heart out of the local community and leaves quite literally nowhere for the current locals as a viable alternative.

"This pub closing has been described as like a death of a family member, as without this venue many people lose their entire connection to the local community and will no longer have a place where in which they can feel at home.

"In fact, because it is contact with multiple people they lose, it is more like the death of multiple family members simultaneously.

"We have genuine fear for the well being of the more senior members of the community because the pub is the only place they are seen, without it ensuring their ongoing well being becomes next to impossible."

The pub had not replied to the Review at the time of print.

What do you think about the closure? Leave your comments below or email charlotte.ikonen@london.newsquest.co.uk.