Villagers attempt to save their last pub

One man trying to buy The Plough said it had the best view of any pub in Hertfordshire

A community has come together to try to save a village's last remaining pub.

Admiral Taverns, which runs The Plough in King's Walden, Hertfordshire, submitted an application to convert the venue into a private property.

Villagers formed a group as part of a plan to buy and run the pub themselves but said the owners had not responded to their requests.

Admiral Taverns told the BBC it "would be happy to engage with genuinely interested parties".

The parish council was notified that Admiral Taverns intended to sell the pub on 26 July.

As the pub is listed as an Asset of Community Value (ACV), local groups were given a period of time to register interest in buying the property.

Adam Nicoll and Richard Pilkington formed a company to buy and run the pub on behalf of the local community but said it had been difficult to contact the owners.

Now landowners have applied for planning permission to convert the two-bed Grade II-listed pub into a four-bed private home.

Mr Nicoll told BBC Three Counties Radio it would be "an absolute travesty" if it ended up becoming a house.

Campaigners said the Grade II-listed pub was an Asset of Community Value

Admiral Taverns said: "We had previously engaged with a local resident to maintain the site as a pub but, despite our efforts, discussions had not moved forward and we took the decision to progress alternative uses for the property.

"We are strong believers in the importance of community pubs and our focus is always on helping our licensees to run sustainable pub businesses.

"After careful consideration, we felt in this instance that the Plough did not have a long-term sustainable future within our estate."

However, Mr Nicoll believes the pub is economically viable.

"It's been serving beer for 180 years, it has the best view of any pub in Hertfordshire and we're willing to buy it," he said.

"I'm hoping that the overwhelming support for the pub will make Admiral Taverns think again."