A BAR in the city centre has been told to close within seven days and all contents are to be removed from the property by that date.
Progress Bar in Endless Street was designed to provide a safe haven for the LGBTQ+ community and the project was driven forward by Councillor Caroline Corbin who also brought Salisbury Pride into the area.
She has been told that the licence will terminate on Friday, February 17.
The venue had previously stood empty for four years and needed a considerable amount of work to make the space warm and welcoming.
Listen: Episode three of Salisbury Journal On Point
Cllr Caroline Corbin said: “All my energy and time has been spent to fix this pickle. The team work hard in the background, and I feel like I have let people down.
"But this is ‘point pushing’ for the sake of it.”
Read more: Progress bar received a notification to leave
There had been issues with the planning permissions at the venue from day one but Caroline said she had checked the activities allowed for a Class E venue and followed them. But felt she was penalised for not putting in the planning application.
Caroline said: “On the licence, it states I am not allowed to put in the planning application. It was one of the clauses. I put in an offer of £32,000 for the lease, which was below their asking price, but above what they’d had since 2019, but the estate agent didn’t put it through in a timely manner.
“They are still marketing it. We have had people come to look at the building with a view to taking it on.”
Caroline admitted this was difficult for them.
Read more: The opening of Progress Bar
“We knew it was a risk, but we honestly thought that it would be a case of run and see what revenue we make, and then, put in for the lease and we would be given first dibs.
"Perhaps, that was my naivety, I don’t know. In a way, it smacks of lip service. We’ll do this but we have no intentions of letting it go any further despite our asking all the right questions.”
Caroline has asked to take unpaid leave from work so she can clear out the venue completely but remains positive.
She said: “We are looking for another venue but we are restricted. It may take time.
"Ultimately, I have always taken responsibility for both Pride and Progress but the road to progress is always bumpy. “
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