A BATTLE to save an historic North Yorkshire pub for the community has been dealt a major blow.

Campaigners appealed to Harrogate Borough Council to re-list the whole of the Henry Jenkins pub in Kirkby Malzeard as an Asset of Community Value.

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This would protect it from development and potentially enable the Henry Jenkins Community Pub group to buy the premises and restore it as a village inn.

The group raised more than £230,000 towards that aim and spokesman Richard Sadler said they were 'dismayed' that the council has this week decided against listing the whole building.

Mr Sadler added: “This is despite overwhelming support of local residents, local businesses, the parish council and our local ward councillor for our plans to bring back this much-loved facility as a revitalised pub, bistro and coffee shop."

Mr Sadler said the decision to refuse the nomination 'made no sense'.

The group has been campaigning for five years to save 18th century pub which has fallen into a derelict state since it was bought by the present owner who has refused repeated offers to buy it.

In October a petition signed by nearly 500 people was presented to a meeting of Harrogate Borough Council to demostrate the level of support for buying the pub and turning it into a community-run enterprise.

The building was listed as an Asset of Community Value by Harrogate Borough Council in 2017 but the council later decided to delist part of the pub that was sold off by the developer.

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