Empty village pub granted protected status

The Fox Inn, in Stockton on the Forest, was closed in August last year

An empty pub in a village near York has been given protected status as part of a campaign by residents to get it reopened.

The Fox Inn, in Stockton on the Forest, closed in August 2024 and was sold to Fox & Forest Ltd, owned by villagers Kate Starkey and Philippa Myers, in June.

On Tuesday, York City Council approved the bid to make the pub an asset of community value (ACV).

The decision followed an application lodged by York's Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) branch for the pub to get ACV status.

ACVs are buildings which are deemed to support the social wellbeing and interests of communities including through recreation, culture and sports.

If buildings have the status, organisations are given time to raise funds to buy them if they are put up for sale under the Community Right to Bid.

Katie Lomas, executive member for finance at City of York Council, said the approval recognised the importance of village pubs and she was happy to support it.

The venue could support activities in the village if it reopened, according to the council

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the initiative was backed at a public meeting held in the village, which was attended by more than 100 people in April.

CAMRA's application said The Fox Inn had offered food, hosted a weekly quiz night and served as a meeting space for local groups and sports teams when it was open.

It added there was overwhelming evidence that it had served and supported the community and would continue to do so if it was successfully reopened.

Lomas told a council meeting on Tuesday that the venue would support a number of "wonderful activities" if it came back into use.

"I know how important local pubs are, particularly in villages where there's often a lack of infrastructure for all these activities," she said.

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