The Black Horse in Chipping Barnet, which is thought to date back to 1720, closed its doors in September after the leaseholder left the business.
Owned by Star, the company is in the process of recruiting a new operator for the historic pub.
A spokesperson for Star told The Morning Advertiser (The MA): “We are keen to reopen the Black Horse as soon as possible and are recruiting for a new operator to that end. The Black Horse is a great pub, and we have a high level of interest.”
Future generations
However, locals were concerned without Barnet Council granting ACV status, which gives residents the right to bid for community assets if put up for sales, the pub was at risk of being sold for redevelopment in the future.
In a bid to protect the 300-year-old pub, a petition was launched by local person Olly Gough on Sunday 2 November urging the council to register the Black Horse as an ACV and has since received more than 2,700 signatures.
The petition states: “If The Black Horse is listed as an ACV, it would help protect it for future generations. Should the pub ever be put up for sale, the community would have the right to be notified and a chance to bid for it – ensuring it isn’t quietly lost to redevelopment or conversion.
Community support
“We’re launching this petition to show Barnet Council just how much the Black Horse means to local residents. ACV status depends on community support, and your signature will help demonstrate this pub truly serves local people and deserves to be protected.”
According to the petition, a nearby pub, the Prince of Wales in East Barnet, was granted ACV status by the council last year in response to rumours the owners were considering selling the site for development.
In May this year, another north London pub, the historic Ye Olde Swiss Cottage in St John’s Wood, was granted ACV status by Camden Council, protecting it from demolition for the next five years.
Meanwhile in September, comedian Jon Richardson joined forces with residents in a North Yorkshire village campaigning to save their local pub, which had been registered as an ACV in 2013, for a new TV show.
