Edinburgh's Foot of the Walk pub for sale: Locals' anger at potential loss of discount drinks and food

A Leith resident has said that he and other regulars at a local pub currently up for sale are concerned about the loss of discount food and drinks in the area if it closes.

In January it was announced that the Foot of the Walk bar on Constitution Street became the latest pub Wetherspoons decided to offload, just months after it was forced to close after a damaged sewer pipe beneath the premises burst. At that time, Wetherspoons told the Evening News: “The pub will continue to trade until it is sold.”

The boozer, which takes its name from its location at the end of Leith Walk, opened as the 2,000-seater Palace picture house and was later turned into a busy snooker hall.

Local man Robert Drysdale expressed concerns about the sale and how that would impact the pub's regulars, leaving them unable to access discount drinks and food in Leith.

He said: "Wetherspoons are selling the Foot of the Walk pub in Leith, which they tell me 'is in the interests of the business'. However it's certainly not in the interests of Leithers, young and old, who rely on the pub for affordable food and drink prices, good friendly service, easy disabled access, no piped music, family-friendly, direct access from a tram stop - in fact, most of the things which no other pub in Leith can offer.

"I was in there last night, and had a chat with a few of the locals who are feeling very downcast by Wetherspoons' decision, but feel powerless to do anything about it. In particular there are mobility-impaired people who will not be able to find a suitable alternative venue for their quiet pint, even if they can afford the more expensive options locally.

"The likelihood is that, if the pub sells, it will either be to a pub company charging much higher prices, geared to a younger, more affluent customer, or to a completely different operator - discount supermarket perhaps. Either way, Leith will have lost a very valuable asset, incomparable with any other licensed premises in the area."

Robert added that he and his fellow Foot of the Walk regulars are unsure what they can do to reverse Wetherspoons' decision to close the pub.

He said: "I've no idea what can be done to fight this. I wrote to Wetherspoons to make my feelings known, but I got a very limp reply saying it was for the good of the company and that they hoped that customers of Foot of the Walk would use other Wetherspoons pubs 'in the area' - of which there are none, apart from in the city centre. 

"My letter included a suggestion that there might be ways in which local people could help to promote the merits of the pub, and that the arrival of the tram on its doorstep - with step-free access from the platform - was a major asset, which should be highlighted in advertising publicity, but they did not respond to those comments."

Wetherspoon spokesman Eddie Gershon said: “We completely understand that customers are frustrated and upset by the decision to sell the pub. This isn’t a decision taken lightly by the company.

“However, Wetherspoon does, on occasion, put some of its pubs up for sale. The pub will continue to trade as normal until it is sold.”