Villagers look to save pub from closure

Holbeach St Johns residents looking to save their village pub are attempting to raise enough money to buy it for the community.

Last Thursday nearly 100 people attended a meeting to discuss the future of the around 200-year-old The Plough.

It’s the subject of a controversial change of use planning application to turn it into a home by current landlord Ian Osborn who took over its running last July.

But villagers are now rallying around in a bid to save it, and those who’ve expressed an interest in putting money towards its purchase are being asked to attend a further meeting taking place at the village hall at 6.30pm tomorrow (Wednesday April 28).

At last week’s socially distanced outdoor meeting the possibility of having The Plough listed as an Asset of Community Value was raised.

The designation means that if the pub was to be sold, the community would have six months to allow it to raise enough money to buy it first.

Local resident Kaylea Frost described last week’s meeting as “a success.”

“Many villagers also pledged investment should we look to make the pub an ‘asset of community value’ and we are looking in to this as an option,” she said. “We do hope that planning permission is denied and the pub will stay as a pub.”