Nottingham pub's future uncertain after revamp abandoned ahead of sale to mystery buyer

Photo shows The Newcastle Arms pub on Nuthall Road, between Old Basford and Aspley
-Credit: (Image: Joseph Raynor/ Reach PLC)


The future of a closed Nottingham pub that was supposed to get a major refurbishment and reopen is uncertain after it was sold to a mystery new owner. The Newcastle Arms, which is located on the edge of Old Basford and Aspley on Nuthall Road, has been closed since 2021.

Last year Star Pubs, which had owned the large and once-popular boozer, said it was planning to significantly renovate the old pub as well as change its name to the 'Old Hall' so it could return to trading. The Heineken-owned pub company said it wanted to give the renamed drinking hole a new look and also make it a "quality ale-house" to draw in more customers.

However, the firm has now confirmed it has sold the Newcastle Arms - dashing any hopes of the revamp and putting the property's future as a pub at the mercy of its new owner. Its freehold was purchased by a mystery buyer in May, with the pub having been put on the market with a guide price of £475,000.

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WTS Property Consultants, which sold the property, said it could not disclose the identity of the buyer and were "unaware" of how they were planning to use the building. In its marketing materials WTS explained the Newcastle Arms would "appeal to local licensed operators, retailers, developers and investors".

The pub currently possesses a premises licence, according to WTS, meaning it could return to use as a pub if the new owner wanted to do so. It could be converted into housing or demolished to make room for a new development, as it is not heritage listed or within a conservation area, but no planning applications have been submitted to Nottingham City Council.

When bids were invited in January for the pub WTS said there had been "high level of interest" from interested parties. The Newcastle Arms was constructed in 1930 and named after local landowner the Duke of Newcastle.

The Inter-war pub building, which was originally built for the Home Brewery Co, is decorated with a fetching sign that carries the ducal family's shield and crest. Steve Westby, chair of the Campaign For Real Ale's [CAMRA] Nottingham branch, said the pub was a "nice building in a prominent spot" but thought it was another casualty of changing drinking habits.

"Now people tend to really drink more in town and city centres, rather than in the suburbs," he added. The imposing L-shaped pub is currently still draped in signs advertising the now-cancelled refurbishment.