A COMMUNITY plan to take over an historic village pub has taken a big step forward.
Residents in Holywell Green fighting to preserve the Holy Well Inn have been given good news by Calderdale Council.
The authority has agreed to list the pub as a community asset.
And that means any plans to sell it will include a six-month moratorium, giving residents the chance to raise the cash for a bid.
Now the group are planning to step up their fundraising so they are in a position to offer money for the pub, which shut more than a year ago, and turn it into a real heart of the community.
One idea is to set up a share scheme, with shares offered for sale to anyone living in the area.
John Walsh, one of those leading the residents’ campaign, said: “We have received confirmation that our bid to have the Holy Well nominated as a community asset has been accepted by Calderdale so the pub will now be listed as such.
“The means we can invoke the six-month moratorium whilst we consider community ownership.
“The owner has been in talks with us although he can sell to who he wants if he decides to go down that route.
“We hope to move on with the idea of issuing shares and getting as many people as possible involved. There is a project called Pub At The Hub which advocates using pubs as real community centres, and we want to see the Holy Well provide facilities for local groups and as a police contact point.
“We have also got a grant of £6,700 from the social investment business fund to assist us and that will help meet legal and valuation fees.”
The next step for the community group is to hold two more information days. They will be in the car park at the pub between 10am and 4pm on Saturday and Sunday to explain the project.
The news comes two months after a developer withdrew an appeal over plans to turn the village pub into apartments.
Chris Gale had lodged an appeal with the Planning Inspectorate after Calderdale Council rejected his first application for the Holy Well Inn, which is on Stainland Road.
An initial plan to convert the pub into five one-bedroom apartments, carry out an extension to the roof of the games room and construct four dormers on the main building was rejected by Calderdale planners last January.
