A councillor is seeking to have the last remaining pub in Biddestone, Wiltshire, registered as a community asset.
Parish councillor Andrew Short has applied to Wiltshire Council to list The White Horse Inn as an Asset of Community Value. If successful, the listing would require the council to notify the community if the pub were ever put up for sale, giving local residents an opportunity to buy it.
Mr Short said: “The White Horse provides a central meeting point and its loss as a public house would have a devastating effect on village life in general.”
Over the past 25 years, Biddestone has lost its village shop, post office, and The Biddestone Arms, which was converted into seven houses. The White Horse is now the village’s only remaining pub.
The nomination has received support from the Campaign for Real Ale (Camra). Mike Hamlyn, Camra’s North West Wiltshire pubs officer, said: “The White Horse is the only remaining pub in the area and is a real asset to the community.”
The White Horse is owned by Stonegate Pub Company, which is advertising for new tenants. According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the company describes the pub as a “traditional pub in an affluent, picture-perfect village” with “untapped potential” to become a “destination pub”.
The company is seeking a rent of £615 a week and estimates the pub could make around £420,000 a year. It said: “The White Horse is a charming, character-filled village pub that offers a rare blend of heritage, warmth, and commercial opportunity. Already enjoying strong local loyalty, The White Horse has untapped potential to become a destination pub for food lovers and day-trippers alike.”
