Oxfordshire village looks to save pub after closing down

The Bat and Ball, on High Street in Cuddesdon, shut its doors for good earlier this year but the community have launched a ‘Save The Bat and Ball’ campaign.

To protect it from being sold without consultation the Cuddesdon and Denton Parish Council has decided to apply for an asset of community value status.

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An asset of community value is a building or land where its main use has recently been or is presently used to further the social well-being or social interests of the local community and could do so in the future.

If the pub does become a registered asset of community value, it means that a sale cannot proceed until the nominating community organisation has been given the chance to be treated as a potential bidder.

The legislation does not provide a right of first refusal but instead, it gives time for funding to be sourced to bid to buy the asset on the open market.

A parish council statement said: “Did you used to visit the Bat and Ball in Cuddesdon?

“You may know that it’s been closed for a couple of months now.

“We’re trying to make sure it stays in use as a pub.

“As part of doing this, we need to collect evidence to show how the pub enabled a sense of community above and beyond just having a drink.”

The survey, which can be found here, asks a number of questions to gather evidence to show the pub was a community asset.

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A statement on the survey reads: “Many of us in Cuddesdon and Denton are concerned by the closure of the village pub, and a number of us are prepared to invest our time and efforts to ensure a thriving community space that serves the Parish well.

“To help protect it from being sold without consultation, Cuddesdon and Denton Parish Council has decided to apply for an Asset of Community Value status.

“To be successful, we need your support to show that the pub is or can be more than just a pub serving drinks and meals.

“The council needs evidence that it ‘furthers the social wellbeing or cultural, recreational or sporting interests of the community’.

“The evidence needs to include dates and if possible photographs. 

“We want to show that the pub lies at the heart of the villages’ social network, and appreciate that most comments will relate to the use of the pub before Covid-19, that’s fine.”