The Maltsters Arms, Harbertonford, Nr Totnes, Devon

The Maltsters Arms, Harbertonford, Devon TQ9 7SZA Community Pub?

Sadly, the pub closed in September 2018. The purpose of this site is to explore the possibility of making the Maltsters Arms a Community Pub. There are many successful examples of this happening as discussed in the section Community.

Background

The owners of the pub are Heavitree Brewery who acquired it in 2006. After the previous landlord gave up the pub in 2015 it was put on the market by the owners for approximately £180,000. It remained closed for about 12 months and then in 2016, the last landlord, John, negotiated a lease on the pub to run from 29 Apr 2006 for 15 years, and the pub was reopened.

Unfortunately, according to Heavitree, John sent the keys back in September 2018 and left. John had struggled to make the pub work during the two and a half years he was there. There are many reasons for this, some of which are looked at in the Issues section.

There is a possibility that Heavitree Brewery will decide to apply for a Change-of-Use and sell it as a residential property. This would mean the loss of the pub. Harbertonford, the biggest village in the immediate area, would then be the only one without a pub. Can this be allowed to happen ?

There is general recognition of the importance of a pub in a community. It is even recognised by central government which is why there is a Community Pubs Minister; Jake Berry MP. The pub has suffered from years of neglect and lack of investment. As a community pub the Maltsters Arms has a much better chance of taking its proper place in the life of Harbertonford.

lat: 50.392812 N, lon: -3.711880 E

Cost of losing the pub

The population of Harbertonford, taken from the electoral register (ie 18+ yrs), is about 520 people and 276 properties. The population overall is estimated to be about 600. Research done by the estate agents Whitworths suggested a local pub added between 7 – 10% to the value of a property. If the pub was allowed to remain closed and possibly sold for development as a private dwelling, then there exists the potential for a general loss of value of the 276 properties of 7-10%. Given an average house price in the village (based on Zoopla) of over £250,000, then a 7% loss in value would represent an average loss to each household of greater than £17,500 and a total loss to the community of £4.8m. Clearly, one should be careful about attaching too much importance to the detail of a calculation like this, but it does give an indication of the order of magnitude of the value of a local pub, and the significance of its loss.

The need for a community pub

It would be very unusual for a village of the size of Harbertonford not to have a pub. Most villages have a pub because they provide an essential service to their community as a place to relax, meet neighbours and friends. Most of the surrounding villages have a pub but they all are too far away to function as a community pub for Harbertonford. They are not within normal walking distance:

Church House Inn, Harberton	1.8m (3.0km)
Waterman’s Arms, Tukenhay	1.9m (3.1km)
Maltsters Arms, Tuckenhay	2.0m (3.2km)
New Inn, Halwell	2.0m (3.2km)
Durant Arms, Ashprington	2.4m (3.8km)

Community Pubs are often used as small spaces for activities like:

Somewhere for local artists to display there work.
A place for District and County Councillors to hold surgeries
Mini library and book exchange
etc

Existence of a market

There used to be a wine bar in the village called Pounds. It was a great success and often full. Also, it appears that many friendships in the village trace their origins to Pounds. It closed only because the owner retired. This could indicate that there exists a real need and that there is every possibility that a well-run community pub could be viable and provide a valuable resource for the village. A community pub needs to be attractive to everyone in the community. It needs to cater for those that like good wine, good beer and good cup of coffee. It should be an attractive venue and somewhere for all ages. It should serve the community and respond to its particular needs. There are a number of holiday-lets and bed and breakfasts in the village. A pub within walking distance would benefit these businesses as well as providing revenue for the pub.

Village Hall

The Village Hall is a wonderful resource for the community but it is not a pub. Harbertonford is a sizeable village compared to the other villages in the area, many of which support both a pub and a village hall. Each has complementary roles to play.

History

There has been a pub in the village for as long as there are records, dating back to the late 18th century. A more recent map of the village dated 1887 shows there were three pubs; the Red Lion, the New Inn and the Maltsters Arms. It would be a great shame to allow this long tradition to die out and it would change the character of the village.

Viability

A lot of small village pubs struggle. The advantage of a community pub is that some of the capital costs are reduced through grants and favourable loan rates. Running costs can also be reduced through, volunteer work and revenues increase by a sense of ownership by the community.

Contact for more information