Save The Red Lion campaign - community action first in East Devon!

The Red Lion pub in Sidbury village, East Devon was put up for sale three months ago. The Red Lion pub is the only pub in a village of over 800 residents. In mid-May the residents came together at a packed public meeting to express their concerns at the potential loss of the pub and the impact that this would have upon the local community. At the meeting it was agreed to establish the Save The Red Lion campaign with the objective of saving the Red Lion as a pub for the community.

Today (Friday 19 July 2013) the Save The Red Lion campaign has submitted an application to East Devon District Council, under the 2012 Localism Act, nominating that the Red Lion be listed as an “Asset of Community Value”.

This application to have the Red Lion listed as “Asset of Community Value” is the first in East Devon either to seek to have a pub listed by the local authority under the Localism Act, or by a campaign group seeking to save a village business. This application is among one of only around 70 that have been submitted to save a pub around the country.

Save The Red Lion campaign Chair Fred Burnett said: “This is a significant first step being taken by a concerned village community to save their pub for the community. Once East Devon District Council agree to list the Red Lion as an Asset of Community Value then that places a stop on Punch Taverns selling it for the time being”.

After the Red Lion is listed by the local authority, the Save The Red Lion campaign will start the process of exploring whether a viable business plan and financial structure can be put in place to, not only purchase the pub on behalf of the community, but also to fund refurbishing it and then launching it as a pub at the heart of the village.

As campaign Chair Fred Burnett explained “The Campaign is confident that a viable business plan can be constructed. We have willing and experienced local campaigners who see the potential in a successful future for the Red Lion. We are determined to take all necessary steps to save the Red Lion for the local community”.

To assist the campaign in now undertaking work that will determine whether it should go onto seek to purchase the Red Lion on behalf of the community it has applied for significant grants that are available from several sources including the Department for Communities and Local Government.

Campaign Secretary John Loudoun confirmed “As a campaign that has significant local support, we feel confident that now is the time to start to look seriously at the feasibility of not only buying the Red Lion, but also creating a company that can develop the bid to purchase and run the pub as a successful asset of the community”.

The Campaign intends to try to speak to Punch Taverns about whether it will now, as it has previously publicly said, helping the community to retain the Red Lion as Sidbury’s village pub. The campaign has around 32 weeks from when East Devon District Council lists it as an “Asset of Community Value” to bring about a successful purchase.

The campaign’s patron, the Rt Hon Hugo Swire MP said “I am fully supportive of the Campaign’s decision to apply to have the Red Lion listed as an “'Asset of Community Value'.
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I know that there is great local support for the campaign and indeed for the pub itself. I hope they are successful in purchasing it for the community”.

Follow the campaign at - http://thepubinthevillage.blogspot.com.