Villagers help win pub a stay of execution

Villagers have won a stay of execution for a pub after its new owners gave the licensee 28 days to leave.

Save Investments, part of the Petchey Group, is planning to turn the site of the Dodford Inn in Dodford, Worcestershire, over to housing once it has shut down the business.

The company has submitted plans to Bromsgrove Council to convert the pub into a house and build two bungalows on the site.

The pub's licensee, Ray Louch, was originally given 28 days' notice to quit the pub by Save Investments in May. But thanks to the efforts of villagers Mr Louch has now been given a reprieve until October 31.

Save Investments took over the Dodford Inn as one of a package of 205 pubs it bought from Punch Taverns in January. Mr Louch, who has been at the pub for 15 months, had a "tenancy at will" with Punch, running on a month-by-month basis.

He was in negotiations to sign a 10-year lease, but failed to sign a contract before the pub was sold.

He slammed Save Investments and said the group has been "inconsiderate" in its dealings with him. "They have shown no concern at all in their dealings with local business people and locals in the community in general," said Mr Louch. "All they seem to worry about is money and getting a big return on their investment."

Villagers formed a campaign group to save the pub and produced an 800-signature petition. A fighting fund and a website has been set up, while the group is aiming to buy the pub outright.

Stephen Bowden, of the Save the Dodford group, said: "It's

a thriving pub, at the centre of village life. It's generally busy, especially in the summer.

"We are quite capable of buying the pub, but they won't sell it to us."

But Mr Kailayapillai Ranjan, chief executive of the Petchey Group, said as far as he was concerned the pub was not "economic to run".

He added: "The trading figures given to us by Punch and the figures we have taken show it does not attract a lot of people."

Mr Ranjan said they had also had complaints about noise at the pub. He refused to comment on the future plans for the site.