Welcome to the web site of the Herefordshire Branch of The Campaign for Real Ale, the UK's only consumer group dedicated to independent breweries, traditional pubs and real ale. The branch area is the County of Herefordshire.

NEW EDITION OF HEREFORDSHIRE PUBS

The Third Edition of the award-winning county pub guide has been published, and is on sale in bookshops, tourit offices and pubs around the county, as well as by post.

For more details and updates on changes to the pubs since publication go to Local Pub Guide.

Sun Wins Pub of the Year

Having been saved from redevelopment a few years ago, the historic parlour pub, the Sun at Leintwardine has been voted Pub of the Year for 2011 by Herefordshire CAMRA.

Runner-up was the Barrels, Hereford.

See Pub News

MORE SUSPENSE AT THE RHYDSPENCE

Historic border inn offered for lease following damning rejection by Herefordshire planners

Pantomime season is with us again, so perhaps we shouldn’t have been surprised when, back in October, we learned of a fresh planning application for change of use for the 14th Century Grade II-listed Rhydspence Inn at Whitney-on-Wye. Here we go again….

Regular Hopvine readers might recall, back in February 2011, that a previous application for change of use was withdrawn by the owner, on the advice of Herefordshire Council planners. Herefordshire CAMRA had highlighted on that occasion that the £750,000+ asking price was totally unrealistic, when compared to sale prices of pubs sold elsewhere in Herefordshire throughout 2010. This asking price undoubtedly explained why the owner could claim there had been no serious offers for the premises as a business.

CAMRA hoped the withdrawal of that application represented a watershed: an opportunity to salvage the situation, and in the process create a ‘win-win’ outcome - one where the owner gets a good (market) price for the premises, and we save the Rhydspence Inn for future generations to enjoy.

Wot, no auction?

Inexplicably, up to this point the inn had not been taken to auction. So, on the 22nd February 2011, CAMRA wrote in confidence to the owner with an offer of help. It was suggested he should take the inn to auction with a reserve price set no higher than a price at which had previously been agreed by him for a private sale (this regrettably had fallen through). For our part, CAMRA would undertake to actively publicise the auction via our 125,000+ members, and in the national trade press - where we have good contacts. This would give an auction of the Rhydspence Inn the national exposure it so deserves, and therefore maximise the selling price. We were so confident that an auction would do the trick, in the same letter we gave a solemn undertaking to desist from objecting to any future change of use planning application for the inn, in the unlikely event it did not sell at auction. We believe this was a good offer - and a genuine one made in good faith.

Optimism was in the air three days later, when the owner’s son made contact with us and said they would soon reply fully to our “kind offer”. That was on the 25th February 2011. Nothing has been heard from them since – not a sausage. This was very disappointing. It was clear the owner had no intention of taking the Rhydspence Inn to auction.

One property, two prices

So, following the withdrawal of the application in February, what was the owner's Plan B? It turned out to be the same as Plan A, and so another planning application went in for change of use - just six months after the last one. The difference this time was the asking prices. Yes, prices (plural). Bizarrely, there were now two of them! One at £675,000 with one selling agent, and another at £550,000 with another agent. Why there were two different asking prices (with a difference of £125,000 between them) was a complete mystery. Perhaps the lower one was a ‘tick in the box’ price to keep the planners happy ahead of a future planning application? We can only speculate.

Whilst the CAMRA offer of help went unanswered throughout 2011, prices in the licensed property market continued to fall. Even the lower asking price of £550,000 started to look increasingly unrealistic as time passed.

CAMRA undertook a price comparison exercise between the asking price for the Rhydspence Inn asking and sale prices agreed for other pubs and inns locally. In early November, CAMRA shared its information in a report to planners. This illustrated just how far the market had fallen, and how out of kilter the £550,000 asking price was.

One for the price of two

The recent sale of the Measllwch Arms at Glasbury, west of Hay-on-Wye, and only seven miles distant from the Rhydspence Inn, was of particular interest in price comparison terms. A not dissimilar property in scale and location, it boasts double the number of guest bedrooms, but was sold based on a £270,000 guide price - that’s less than HALF the asking price of the Rhydspence Inn.

CAMRA believes numerous prospective buyers, many of whom expressed interest in the Rhydspence Inn, were not willing (or able) to proceed, due to an asking price that was not commensurate with its market value. It is our view that the marketing exercise to sell the Rhydspence Inn was, therefore, inadequate and failed to demonstrate there was no interest from those seeking to run it as a business.

It came as little surprise when on the 15th November, CAMRA were notified that Herefordshire Council planners had refused permission. The refusal document confirms our report findings, when it states: “It is considered that the premises subject to this application have not been marketed at a realistic price that is reflective of current economic conditions…” and goes on to point out that the proposal is contrary to no less than four planning policies in the Herefordshire Unitary Development Plan. This represents a resounding rejection of the proposal.

HT Cheerleaders lose £50,000

There was not a single letter of support received by the planners for this application, set against numerous objections, including from within the council. This was particularly reassuring, especially when one considers the Hereford Times newspaper has consistently been an enthusiastic cheerleader for the owner’s plan to convert the 14th Century inn – most recently reporting, incorrectly, that the inn was for sale at £500,000. In the final analysis it was refreshing to see facts prevail over one-sided media spin.

So, where do we go from here? Has the owner got a Plan C? With experience to date, would anyone wager on Plan C being any different to Plans A and B? Maybe this is the owner's strategy: all or bust on getting change of use? We sincerely hope it isn’t, and believe along the way the owner has received some very poor advice.

A chink of light?

Is there still time to save the situation? Perhaps embarrassed by reports of them ignoring our earlier offer of help, we finally heard from the owners on the 12th December - only nine and a half months after we offered help. The good news is that there is a Plan C, and one which might just work. This might yet provide a route to create a viable commercial future for the Rhydspence Inn under alternative ownership. The premises are now being offered up for lease. Details of a ten-year lease offer (and viewing arrangements) are via Herefordshire-based selling agent, Sidney Phillips , on (01981) 250333 and you can download the owner's flyer.