THE future of an empty pub in the centre of Welland, near Malvern, will be on the agenda when the parish council holds its annual meeting next week.

The Pheasant has been empty for seven years and has fallen into dereliction, forming an eyesore on one of the most prominent sites in the village.

Now it is being proposed to start a community share issue to bring the pub back to life.

Viv Nelson, chairman of Little Malvern and Welland Parish Council Nelson, said: "We have the opportunity to bid for it, but it's totally destroyed inside and will need large sums spending on it if it's to be just as it was seven years ago.

"The surrounding land now has planning permission for 14 homes but whether or not any developer would want to start work on the site adjacent a derelict building, we don't know.

"The meeting is to get a feel for what the villagers want and if they want us to invest in this at this time."

Mark Haslam of CAMRA will be a guest speaker at the meeting to give a presentation about community pubs.

At the same meeting, a proposal for a community orchard in Welland, to be funded by Section 106 money contributed by developers building houses in the village, will be considered.

"Again, we need a steer from the villagers to see who is interested," said Mrs Nelson.

The annual parish meeting is on Monday, April 24, at 7pm in Welland Village Hall.