Struggling widowed licensee's pub sale blocked by ACV application

The former licensee at the Walmer Castle in Canterbury had a deal in place to sell the pub – which has been closed since April - to be converted into flats.

Elsa Teagle told the Thanet Gazette​ she couldn’t make ends meet anymore. She looked after her husband for five years while using savings to keep the pub open. Since he died three years ago, trade has been so bad she was forced to close.

But the local CAMRA branch launched a petition to keep the building as a pub, which was accepted by Thanet Council – giving a window for community bids to buy the Walmer Castle as a going concern.

A spokesman for CAMRA told the PMA​: “It’s only right that communities get the chance to have their voices heard if local services are going to be lost. Without ACV listings the first many communities know about losing valued pubs is when the developers and their bulldozers move in.”

The initial delay to a sale is six weeks, during which all legal and financial activity connected to the pub sale can continue.

Planning permission is always needed to convert any pub into housing, and a council can decide to take an ACV listing into account when considering a nomination. 

“Being listed as an ACV pub brings many benefits to licensees and can be beneficial if they choose to sell the pub as a going concern, rather than conversion into housing,” the spokesman added.

The PMA​ is hosting an ACV round-table debate on 3 November, with coverage in print on 12 November.

If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, Licensed Trade Charity Support & Care may be able to help. Call the charity’s helpline on 0808 801 0550. Calls are free from landlines and most mobile networks.​