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15
Feb 2023
Council upholds listing Sharow pub as asset of community value
Harrogate Borough Council has upheld its decision to allocate the Half Moon Inn at Sharow as an asset of community value.
The council awarded the pub asset of community value status in November 2022 following a campaign by local residents and the parish council to keep the venue open.
However, Mark Fitton, the owner of the pub has challenged the council’s decision and described it as “flawed”.
In a letter to Mr Fitton, which was seen by the Stray Ferret, the council confirmed that it expected to complete a review of its decision by January.
Now, a spokesperson for the authority has confirmed it had upheld its original decision.
It means residents and campaigners will have six months to attempt to raise funds to purchase the property.
The pub on Sharow Lane opened in 1822 but closed in 2016.
Since then, a long running saga has unfolded over how best to put the building to use.
Read more:
Sharow Parish Council continues village pub fight
- Residents call for Sharow pub reinstatement after latest council rejection
Mr Fitton lodged a plan to convert the former pub into a house in March last year.
However, Harrogate Borough Council refused the proposal on the grounds that “insufficient evidence” had been submitted to demonstrate that no community use existed for the property.
Mr Fitton has now taken the decision to the government’s Planning Inspectorate, the body that deals with planning disputes.
He has also resubmitted the proposal to the council.
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