A PUB which is a focal point for a small Yorkshire village is set to be given more protection against any potential development or sell-off.

The Derwent Arms, in Osbaldwick village, is set to be granted asset of community value status after Osbaldwick Parish Council made an application to City of York Council.

An asset of community value is land or property of importance to a local community which is subject to additional protection from development under the Localism Act 2011

The pub, which is open and has been trading since 1970, is run by Punch Pubs, according to the land registry, but the council has been told that the freehold is believed to now be in the ownership of Heineken UK.

The leasehold of the pub was being advertised for £70,000 on a property website in October last year.

According to Osbaldwick Parish Council, the pub’s field has a long history of community use and value. Previous uses of the field were as cricket and football pitches and included providing a base for a successful pub football team. 

The village gala and annual bonfires have also been held on the field, which also provided allotment plots and it is considered that this could be a potential use for the field in the future.

The parish council states that the field is used at various times of the year by the caravan club for camping and caravanning, benefitting the pub and other local businesses.

According to a City of York Council report: “They state that the ancillary uses of the pub are as a safe children’s play area and football area for customers and local residents and the building and land furthers the social and wellbeing of the local community and customers of the pub along with being a community focal point being the location of the village gala.”

The parish council’s bid will be considered for approval by Cllr Nigel Ayre, executive member for finance and performance, at City of York Council, on Monday, April 11.

The Derwent Arms was previously entered on the council’s list of assets of community value in 2016, but this status expires after five years.

If listed, the local community will be informed if the pub is put up for sale. The community can then enact the community right to bid, which gives them a moratorium period of six months to determine if they can raise the finance to purchase the asset.

The community bid comes just weeks after another pub in the area, The Magnet in Osbaldwick Lane, was saved from demolition after councillors rejected a plan to turn it into flats.

One of the generation of ‘improved’ public houses designed for the spreading suburbs and housing estates of 1930s, The Magnet, which is currently closed, is the “the best survivor of its type in York”, according to CAMRA.