A MICROBAR could open in Wellington’s High Street by the Easter weekend – if Covid-19 restrictions are lifted.

Mother-of-two Karina Macri, who lives with her partner in Wellington, has received conditional planning permission to turn the former Warrens Bakery in the centre of town into a bar.

But because of lockdown she is ‘in no rush’ to start work on the building, which will take about four weeks and is mostly cosmetic. She says she plans to run the bar herself and to employ four staff. Her times of opening will vary over seven days, with Friday and Saturday closing times expected to be 1am.

Karina, 34, had planned to open the bar in the former Bladez hairdressers but she shifted her attention a few doors down the road to larger premises. Despite lockdown she says she is happy with her ‘business plan’.

She said: “My main focus will be providing customers with a unique, personal pub experience. I’m all about conversation and local produce – local beer, craft beer and traditional cider. I’ll be dog-friendly and I won’t be doing kitchen-served food, just light snacks including meat pies, scotch eggs, pasties, breads and cheeses, nut and other small cooked savoury goods.

“I plan to work in collaboration with local businesses for the overall well-being and growth of the town.”

She added: “A microbar provides a memorable and unique experience to its customers and replaces larger pub entertainments such as juke boxes, fruit machines and sports entertainment with quality locally sourced products, friendly service and a venue to foster good old-fashioned social conversation.”

Karina has lived in Wellington for ten years and has always had family in the town. Her venture has been supported by Wellington Town Council and Somerset West and Taunton Council. The opening of the bar goes against the trend in this country with pubs closing at the rate of three a day for a number of years, although closures have slowed in the past three years.

Before then the Wellington area had lost a number of licensed premises, including the Kings Arms and Eight Bells in High Street, the Three Cups and Ship Inn in Mantle Street, the Sanford Arms in South Street, the Sportsman Inn in Waterloo Road, the Weavers Arms in Rockwell Green, and more recently the Dolphin Inn, also in Waterloo Road.