THE bid to save a much-loved pub in Malvern is moving on after the brewery agreed to sell.

For several months, the Brewers Community Pub group has been putting together plans to take over the Brewers Arms in West Malvern.

Last week saw Admiral Taverns agree a price of £295,000 to sell to the group, which is selling shares to raise the money.

Now, the next steps in restoring the pub to its former glory continue, with the community group already making plans for the future.

The immediate aims of the group include a susbtantial refurbishment and renovation of the building itself, expected to add to the overall cost of the buyout.

This will include working on the beer cellar, kitchen and toilets to bring them up to an acceptable standard.

Long term, a licensee will have to be hired and the hard details of food and drink supply and costs will have to be discussed.

In its recently released share prospectus, the group behind the buyout said: "A key commitment is for ongoing investment in the fabric of the premises, both indoors and outdoors, as and when funds become available.

"Any opportunities that arise to improve and/or expand the facilities and amenities will be explored, with the aim of increasing access and appeal to a wider range of people.

"The Brewers Arms should become much more than just a pub.

"A prime example is to make much better use of the annex. The so-called ‘Armpit’ offers many exciting opportunities for community use – such as charity coffee mornings, rural cinema screenings, singing groups and so on.

"This will require considerable investment to make it more flexible and usable across the seasons."

The anticipated cost of the purchase and initial refurbishment of the Brewers Arms is £425,000.

This represents the cost of the purchase of the freehold of £295,000, plus £130,000 to cover legal fees, stamp duty, surveys, registration, administration, refurbishment and a contingency fund.

The projected timeline from the group is as follows: July 8 will see the share offer close, July 20 the contracts for the pub will be exchanged, August 18 will see them take vacant possession of the pub with work beginning on the renovation.

Following this, an application will be made for a Government grant for funding, plans for the improvement work will follow later in 2022 with the tenant expected to be hired in early 2023.