Contracts Exchanged for Community Pub

The end of 2024 has seen some excellent news with the exchange of contracts for the historic Bell Inn in Odiham as it now moves forward to re-opening as a community owned pub.

The Bell before closure

The Bell Inn, Odiham
The Bell Inn, licenced since 1509 is one of Hampshire's oldest pubs where brewing has reportedly taken place as far back as the Domesday Book. Tucked away in the historic area known as The Bury, opposite the church and the stocks, The Bell is an integral part of this tranquil corner of Odiham. 

An unfair system that closes pubs
As a traditional pub it was primarily a drinks 'wet-led' house and was owned by the national PubCo Admiral Taverns. It was tied for products to Admiral which meant little opportunity for tenants to build the business further, a harsh reality of what many feel is an unfair trading system that needs serious legal changes. This can often lead to a pub being made unviable, sometimes deliberately, in order to obtain a change of use, usually to residential.

Applications were rejected
During covid the pub closed when the publicans retired and, as sure as night follows day, it was subsequently sold to developers who claimed the pub was unviable and had plans for converting it into houses.
In late 2022 after local pressure, the developer's planning application to Hart District Council was refused and a subsequent Appeal to the Planning Inspector was also rejected.  

Local support for retaining the pub
As well as support from the planners the registration of The Bell as an ACV (Asset of Community Value) was a factor in the recognition of the premises as an important local amenity. 

With the social and economic benefits a public house provides to a community, CAMRA's local Pub Protection Officer, John Buckley, calls on all Parish and Town Councils to ensure their pubs are both registered as ACVs and also recognised in Local and Neighbourhood Plans. "Having ACVs and adopted planning policies in place are important tools in an armoury to fight change of use applications. many more pubs need to be registered but it needs local people and their councillors to be proactive in putting them in place. The Campaign for Real Ale can provide advice."

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Meanwhile a group of residents formed a team with the aim of purchasing the pub. Finance was obtained through a successful application to the government's Community Ownership Fund and a Share Offer was launched for local people.

On the last day of 2024 the team announced the fantastic news:

"We have exchanged contracts to purchase the Bell.
We will complete and collect the keys on Friday."

Brillant news
Now the hard work towards refurbishing and reopening starts in earnest.

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The Bell image by Basher Eyre
license under Creative Commons