Community fears closed Colwall pub will be lost forever

Mark Haslam, the Campaign for Real Ale representative in Herefordshire, has added his voice to concerns about the loss of The Crown Inn on Walwyn Road in Colwall, which has been closed since 2019.

After going to auction earlier this year, the new owners of the site recently submitted planning permission to turn the pub and its car park into four three-bedroom homes.

Mr Haslam said residents had claimed the pub had not been "properly marketed" and that there had been interest from a potential buyer, who planned to reopen it as a pub.

"Concerns have been raised about the marketing of The Crown Inn as a pub, with a buyer, who intended to re-open it, being frustrated when it was sold to owners who want to develop the site," he said.

He said these concerns had been raised at a recent Colwall Parish Council meeting, with the council subsequently deciding to lodge an objection to the plans.

Bond Wolfe auctioneers, who advertised the pub and led the auction, has refuted claims that it wasn't marketed properly.

"Every property is marketed for four weeks prior to the auction day, and this was the case with The Crown," said commercial auction director Ian Tudor.

"As such the people mentioning it wasn’t 'marketed properly' are wrong."

"We undertake extensive marketing including our website, the usual property portals, marketing boards, local press coverage, and email alerts to more than 150,000 potential buyers registered on our database.

"It was offered at a guide price of £250,000, generated significant interest and our instructions from the vendor was to accept an offer considerably more than this prior to the auction

"They were delighted with the outcome, given the property had stood empty for some considerable time during which its condition continued to deteriorate."

Mr Haslam has called a public meeting to address ongoing concerns about the application, which will be held at Colwall Village Hall at 7.30pm on Monday, October 20.