Residents rally for latest round in village pub fight

Ye Olde Dun Cow in Cowbit after it was ravaged by fire.

Residents will have the chance to air their views on the future of a village pub site at a public consultation tonight.

In the latest round in the battle to bring back a pub on the former Ye Olde Dun Cow site, campaigners will hold the meeting to listen to views about protecting the site as a community asset, preventing any change of use of the site and getting the family friendly pub reinstated.

The campaign now has a fighting fund of £9,500 under its belt in the form of a Government grant to carry out a pre-feasibility study on the site of Ye Olde Dun Cow, which was demolished earlier this year after standing empty since it was destroyed by fire in October 2012.

The money can be used for certain aspects of the campaign such as a business plan, public consultation action, an asset viability study, an architectural study, training for the campaign committee on community owned assets and management and key support from other campaigns across the country in similar positions.

A spokesman for the campaign said: “The site does, however, still remain on the district council’s asset register and the planning committee’s stance still remains that a pub must be built on the site before anything else will be considered.

“Market Homes has still failed to show that a pub in Cowbit is not viable and they have made no contact with the village through the campaign to find a way forward.

“The only thing that has changed is that the physical building has been removed.”

A questionnaire was sent out to villagers ahead of the consultation event, asking for views.

Many villagers have already got behind the fight to save the site for a village pub, with a target of a £500 start-up fund reached thanks to donations and fundraising efforts.

The campaign also has the support of South Holland and the Deepings MP John Hayes and district and county councillors.
Villagers are being kept up to date with the campaign’s progress by regular newsletters.

In the April edition, a spokesman for the campaign said: “We would like to make it clear that we still consider the Barrier Bank site to be the most suitable and acceptable site in the village and assure you that we will continue to fight to save our village pub.”

Anyone wishing to help or join the campaign committee can email duncowcampaign@gmail.com.

More details about the campaign can be found at www.cowbitvillage.co.uk/dun-cow-site.