We had a good public meeting yesterday at Kings Stanley Village Hall on the question of the future of the Kings Head pub just the other side of the road.

During the general election campaign, it was pointed out to me that the pub had recently closed. After the election, and fearing a planning application if the pub remained empty, I set up the meeting and publicised it in the post-election Focus leaflet. As soon as we started delivering them, it was pointed out to us that it clashed with a vital World Cup tie. However, the village hall is in use almost every night of the week, so we didn’t have much choice in the booking.

A good couple of dozen people attended the meeting, from all parties, and covering many areas of village life – B&B owners, an ex-publican, a parish councillor, members of CAMRA, parents of schoolchildren, and skittles players. The subject was introduced by Cllr Dennis Andrewartha, LibDem parliamentary candidate in May, district council group leader, county council deputy group leader and a long-serving member of Stroud’s Development Control committee.

I had previously contacted the pub’s owners, who assured me that they were actively trying to get the pub back up and running. This was good news, though the pubco’s advertisement, promoting the pub as located on the outskirts of Gloucester, seemed not to encourage the sort of publican who might prefer its actual position between the Cotswold and the Severn Vale, and the possibility of catering for walkers on the Cotswold Way.

There was much helpful discussion, and it was eventually agreed that I should write to the pub’s owners, encouraging them to get in a tenant as soon as possible and emphasising the importance of having the pub open again by September,  as it has a much-used  skittle alley and should not lose out for the next season. Should the pubco think of selling the pub for another purpose, they should be aware that the village would strenously oppose a planning application for change of use.

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