YORK residents packed into a public meeting to discuss plans for a community take-over of a popular city pub.

Around 100 people attended the meeting at The Priory Street Centre on Monday night, to discuss plans for a co-operative to buy a ten-year lease on the Golden Ball, on the corner of Cromwell Road and Victor Street in Bishophill.

Under the plans, first revealed by The Press last week, investors could buy shares in the cooperative in return for a say in how the pub is run and an expected annual dividend of around two to five per cent.

Originally, it was expected that investors would buy £500 or more of shares each but the plans have now been amended, to cope with the huge response.

Pete Kilbane, secretary of the co-operative, said so many people had come forward to invest that they may reduce that to £400, so as many people as possible can be part of the venture.

The original target was £60,000 but that has now been increased to £72,000 and the co-operative aims to have 180 investors with £400 of shares each.

At the Priory Street meeting on Monday, members of the co-operative committee gave a presentation on their plans and there was a question-and-answer session.

My Kilbane said the co-operative committee was delighted with the turn-out and thanked all who attended.