THE future of a country pub under threat of development will be on the agenda at a meeting on Monday.

Guarlford Parish Council has called the meeting because of concerns about the Plough and Harrow, which lies between the village and the Rhydd junction on the B4211.

The application was made by Birmingham-based chartered surveyor James A Baker, and includes a viability report which describes the pub’s future as a licensed premises as “quite bleak”.

The report said that the pub has been marketed as a business since January 2016, and that in that time, there were no offers to buy it as a business. The pub closed its doors in June the same year.

But Peter Hughes of the parish council said that many Guarlford residents were not convinced that the pub is not viable.

He said: "It has been very successful in the past when it was well run. Several years ago it was renowned for its food and it was in the Good Pub Food guide, one of only three pubs in Worcestershire to make it into the guide.

"It's on the route between the motorway and Worcestershire's biggest tourist attraction, the Three Counties Showground, and whenever there was something on at the showground, the pub used to be very busy.

"We want to hear what residents have to say about it."

The viability report submitted with the application said: "The outlook for trading at the Plough and Harrow is quite bleak. "Given the rural location of the property and limited local custom, considering the various licensed premises towards Malvern and within the town itself, the pub is not considered to be attractive for continued use. This is evidenced by the lack of interest for licensed use from the 15 months of marketing.”

Residents are welcome to come to the meeting, which is at the village hall in Penny Lane on Monday at 7.30pm.

The application had been scheduled for a Malvern Hills District Council planning meeting last month, but was deferred for the applicant to carry out a public consultation.