Yahoo News North Lincolnshire village pub gets special protection status
A village pub has been given special status to protect against any potential future uncertainty.
North Lincolnshire Council has designated The Nags Head, in Wootton, an asset of community value. The status, which lasts for five years, means a site is recognised for its benefit to the community.
If any owner wants to sell the facilities, or redevelop them, the local community are notified, and have a legal right to a fair bid. Six months are allowed to raise funds.
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Wootton Parish Council applied for the special status last year when there was a hiatus in the pub's management, and it closed as a result. Happily, new tenants have since taken it over, and there is no longer concern over its future.
The council document confirming the new special status of the pub states the parish council demonstrated "the pub’s positive impact on community wellbeing in terms of past and current functions". Examples included music nights, and the annual 'Wootton Stock' quiz.
It also highlighted the potential for widened community use in future, whether as a meeting place for local groups, or possible host to a Post Office or banking facilities. Meanwhile, plans for 70 more homes in the village could produce a greater future demand for such a facility. Last year, permission was granted on appeal for 38 homes in Wootton.
"All it was, when the previous pub tenants were leaving, there was a hiatus gap," explained parish council chair Cllr Graham Horton about why the asset of community value status had been sought for The Nags Head. "The only assets we've got in the village really are the school and the pub."
The gap in tenants running the pub occurred last year. "So it was a period of time where we were unsure what was going to happen to the pub. It was decided if it was put in as an asset, we would have at least as a community, some say."
Making it an asset of community value was done to ensure the parish council was kept in the loop, if somebody decided to do something different about it. The Nags Head is part of the Punch pubs chain, which owns more than 1,200 venues in England, Scotland and Wales.
Cllr Horton said the people who run it now are seasoned, having run a pub in another village. "It hasn't been an issue, it hasn't gone on the market."
The pub chain had also since spent cash on external works, including painting. "It's a completely different picture now," said Cllr Horton, compared to when the special status was applied for.
He added the village hall was also more active with more events, after a different committee took it over. "Hopefully, it won't be needed," he said, referring to the five-year time period the asset status for the pub covers.
