Fresh fears over future of village pub which was saved by community
A village pub saved by its regulars is facing a fresh threat because of a lack of grants to turn it into a community venue.
The Cross Keys in Kinnerley was saved from being turned into houses by local builder Les Jones and his wife Norma in October.
The couple bought the historic building to save it from development and gave the community six months to restore it.
But when the Cross Keys Action Committee started applying for grants it found that unless it had a lease of at least 25 years on the building there was no funding available.
Now the committee has launched an appeal to buy the pub from Mr and Mrs Jones and it wants people to step forward to become shareholders.
A meeting will be held in Kinnerley Village Hall on Thursday (FEB 25) to explain the situation and ask for help.
John Dyson, a member of the action committee, said: "We need to raise £250,000 to buy the building and then we are confident we would get grants to restore it.
"The Cross Keys is not only the hub of the community and the centre of Kinnerley, it is also an historic building that should be saved.
"I would appeal to all residents and those from further afield who would like to see this wonderful building restored to consider helping us.
"Shareholders would retain a stake in the building and, when it makes a profit would share in that profit," he said.
Ideas already put forward for the Cross Keys include a community hub, breakfast and lunch clubs and a library. In the future the first floor, with its historic wooden structure, could house a manager's flat and holiday accommodation or bed and breakfast.
The pub was closed after a small fire two years ago. Afterwards the owner, a Midlands developer, put in four planning applications for housing.
Campaigners fought the applications and the parish council helped to have the building listed and registered as a community asset.
Mr Jones, 75, said when he bought the building: "I wanted to show that not all developers are greedy.
"If the community can get this place restored in six months then I will let them run it at a reasonable rent.
"Who knows, if they make a success of it they might be able to buy it from us."
Mrs Jones, 74, said: "It would have been terrible if the heart of the village had been destroyed. This is the heart of the village with the church, shop, school, village hall and the pub."
Thursday's meeting will start at 7pm.
