PLANS have been revealed for a village pub, with its landlord set to retire after 15 years.
The Moody Cow in Upton Bishop, near Ross-on-Wye, is at the centre of new plans to secure its future after landlord Chris Burgess announced his retirement earlier this year.
Mr Burgess, who has run the pub for 15 years, will step down after Sunday lunch on July 19.
Stonegate, which owns the pub, has confirmed to the Hereford Times that a new tenant is due to take over on July 21, meaning that the pub "should stay open as normal", adding that the pub will trade as normal until that date, and will not close.
Upton Bishop Parish Council has agreed to nominate The Moody Cow as an Asset of Community Value (ACV) under the Localism Act 2011.
This designation would give the community greater influence over the pub’s future and offer some protection against change of use or redevelopment plans.
During a recent parish council meeting, Councillor Newman said other pubs in Herefordshire, such as the Weston Cross at Penyard and the Bell Inn at Bosbury, had been successfully registered as Assets of Community Value.
Cllr Newman also noted that ACV status does not grant a right to purchase, but it does strengthen the case against planning applications to convert the site.
Cllr Newman advised that applications should be submitted while a pub remains trading, as this is the most common ground for unsuccessful applications.
EDITOR'S NOTE: A previous version of this article stated that the current landlord would leave on July 18. We would like to clarify that he will not be leaving until after Sunday lunch service on July 19, and service will be as usual.
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