Residents aiming to buy and reopen historic pub

The Old Neighbourhood Inn, near Stroud, closed 18 months ago

Residents are raising money to buy and reopen a historic pub which could be converted into a house.

The Old Neighbourhood Inn at Chalford Hill, near Stroud, has been closed since September 2022.

An application has been lodged to turn the building into a home but people living nearby are campaigning to save the 170-year-old pub from permanent closure.

Kevin Roseblade, who lives next door, and was a regular customer, said: “It was so much more than a pub, it was the centre of all the community events."

Tim Woodfine said hundreds of people wanted the pub back open

A meeting has been held between residents and the Chalford Hill Community Benefit Society as the group aims to step-up its campaign to buy the pub and run it as a community-run hub.

Chairman of the group, Tim Woodfine, told BBC Radio Gloucestershire: “Our next step is to issue a Community Share Offer.

"We did a big survey a few months ago and hundreds of members of the community came forward to say that they would love to see the pub reopened.”

A change of use application was lodged with Stroud District Council earlier in March, with the applicant saying in a planning statement that the building was "deteriorating".

The statement added: "If it's not used as a pub then it needs to be put to some other use, such as becoming a house for someone.”

Rod Rhys Jones is among those fighting to save the pub

Resident Rod Rhys Jones is among those to have pledged money to the campaign.

“I’m utterly appalled to find that this pub is closing," he said.

"It’s so important to have a place where people can meet and work together.

"I’m fighting like hell to raise the money, so I’m working night and day to create something that will be remembered here."

Mr Roseblade added: "This parish has over 6,000 people and for it to not have its own pub is wrong.”

Property consultants Bruton Knowles said that although an attractive building, operating it as a pub would have "a number of problems".

It said a change in customer behaviour, such as drinking at home, a rise in costs, and high-quality competitor pubs in the area, meant the pub could not be considered "a long-term viable business".