THE opening of a JD Wetherspoon pub in Devizes will boost trade in other town pubs, a company executive has claimed.

General manager Thomas Ball said he thought overall trade will go up and other pubs would also benefit.

Wetherspoon's wants to convert the former Beales of Bath shop in St John's Street into a pub and it was was granted a liquor licence by Devizes magistrates last Thursday.

There were no objections to the licence application and the court was told Kennet District Council's planning and conservation officers are recommending planning permission should be given.

Richard Beckett, a solicitor representing Wetherspoon, told the court that the conversion of the Grade II listed building would cost the company £1.7million.

But an artist's impression showed the company was proposing to make little or no change to the front of the building although there would be some demolition at the rear to create a pub garden.

He said there would be 35 staff employed both full and part-time. This would include a management team of five, with a unit manager and four assistant managers of which one or two would be recruited locally. The remaining staff would work in the kitchen and bar. The pub would be open all day from 10am and serve food up until one hour before closing time. Children will be allowed in the pub provided they are with an adult and are eating.

The pub will sell a range of real ales including the local Wadworth brew.

Wetherspoon general manager Thomas Ball said the company's policy for all new pubs was for them to be non-smoking. He said the Devizes pub would follow this rule.

No music would be played in the pub and a routine noise assessment carried out in the premises had satisfied Kennet District Council.

He said he believed the arrival of Wetherspoon should not be a threat to other pub trade in Devizes.

He said: "From our experience in other areas we tend to complement existing pubs.

"We bring something different in that our pub will be non smoking and we serve food all day.

"When we open in a town like Devizes we believe the overall trade will go up and hopefully other pubs should benefit and their trade should go up."

He dispelled fears of drunkenness and rowdiness following the opening of Wetherspoon in the centre of town.

"Because we don't have music, serve food all day and attract families our pubs have a different environment to other pubs.

"Our pubs are well managed, we don't tolerate rowdy behaviour and we control the environment," he said.

Referring to the introduction of a no smoking ban he said: "We don't think it's a gamble to do it earlier than the Government plans.

"There is a groundswell of opinion that people want to eat and drink in a no smoking environment."

If planning permission is granted for the conversion, Wetherspoon hopes to start building work in the autumn.

It is expected the pub will open towards the end of the year or early next year.

The building has been in a dilapidated condition for a number of years.

Following the closure of Beale's, the women's clothes shop, concern was expressed about the safety of the upper facade facing on to St John's Street.