Skeeby residents save village pub after a 12-year battle

21 January 2022

A village pub in North Yorkshire, which has been closed for more than a decade, has successfully been purchased by the community in a deal advised by Muckle.

The Travellers Rest in Skeeby, near Richmond, closed in 2008 and has been vacant ever since, following a planning battle involving its owner and Richmondshire District Council over its conversion into housing.

The Skeeby Community Pub Society (SCPS) was formed to fight the change of use and gather support for the purchase and renovation of the pub.

The group has now successfully purchased the land and buildings which will now, under the ownership of the community, be remodelled and fully fitted out ahead of its reopening.

The SCPS is also currently looking to agree a lease with a tenant to run the licences business.

To date, the group has sold more than £200,000 worth of shares to in excess of 160 people, mostly locals, including Richmondshire MP and Chancellor Rishi Sunak, but also from as far away as Canada, Australia and the US.

The group has also benefited from Richmondshire District Council's Community Investment Fund.

Shares are still available to purchase as it is expected that a further £60,000 will be required to complete the refurbishment works.

Carol Wilkinson, chair of the SCPS said: "It has been a long and challenging process but finally we have completed the purchase of The Travellers Rest. This is a momentous day and one that would have not been possible without the help and support of an enormous number of people."

She added: "Support has been incredible; 12 years is a long time to keep a dream alive and without the hard work and dogged determination of the entire committee, past and present we would not have triumphed."

Giles McCourt, associate solicitor in the real estate team at Muckle, added: "We are thrilled to have completed this purchase despite the number of challenges along the way. It is wonderful to support a project that is so important to the community of Skeeby, and we can’t wait to see how the project progresses over the coming years."