A NEW micro brewery could be built in Southampton, if councillors give plans the green light.

Called the Crafty Fox, the potential Portswood Road pub will specialise in selling craft beers in a “warm and friendly atmosphere”.

It will be situated on the end of The Broadway and will take over the premises left vacant by the recently closed Costa coffee shop. Before then the building was a base for HSBC.

Applicant Mr N Davis wants to open the micro pub to patrons from 11am daily, closing at midnight.

The Fox will also have a kitchen, but this is for the warming of snacks only. No plans have been put in place to offer any other type of food. However some locals have objected to the plans.

One resident Verena Coleman said she is concerned about increased noise in the early hours as well as an overdevelopement of the area.

She said: “We already have a pub selling craft beer within the district centre and another micro pub on Portswood Road as well as three other pubs and two bars in addition to the many off licences.

“There is no gap in the local market or niche gap that is not already catered to.

"The district centre is surrounded by small residential streets that are subject to late night disturbance in the form of drunken anti social behaviour.

“This has escalated as the district centre and Portswood Road are now full of pubs, bars, late night off-licences, takeaways that encourage people to stay in the area and see the area as a night time economy.

“These applications do not represent the entire community which includes pensioners and families with children who simply need to sleep and whose interests may be other than drinking and eating takeaways.”

But David Blaikie, who is supporting the plans, is worried some objectors may misunderstand what a micro pub is. He said: “Micro pubs are very, very different establishments to the likes of Wetherspoons. All the objections fail to understand this fundamental difference.

“Micro pubs do not generate additional car parking demand because people don’t usually drive to them.

"They do no generate student problems because the specialist craft beers are generally too expensive for most students.

“Micro pubs do not generate noise issues due to the lack of customers (it's too small), lack of Juke box, lack of fruit machines, lack of sport TV, and lack of crowds.”

Mr Blaikie also said that micro pubs are about experience and the quality of the product, rather than cheap alcohol that may promote excessive drinking.

He added: “Southampton has a good craft beer scene that is light years ahead of neighbouring Portsmouth.

"It has the potential to offer a truly great craft beer scene – with the right support and encouragement.

“Do not let the NIMBY community, that has no interest or understanding of quality craft beer prevent the Crafty Fox from going ahead.

“I look forward to visiting the micro pub when it opens.”

The application will go before planners at Southampton City Council’s licensing sub-committee on May 10.