A Killinghall resident is looking to investigate what can be done to re-open the only remaining pub in the heart of the village.
The Greyhounds Inn, a Samuel Smith‘s pub at the junction of Ripon Road and Otley Road, has been closed for several years.
Its loss has been particularly keenly felt since the Three Horseshoes opposite was razed to the ground last year to make way for a new Tesco Express store, which is due to open next year.
It means the rapidly expanding village has gone from having two pubs in its centre to none.
Jonny Smith, who moved to Killinghall five years ago, recently floated the idea on social media of villagers getting together to see what could be done to re-open The Greyhounds.
Mr Smith said:
“I’m trying to understand where we stand, and whether as a collective we can do anything.
“It’s a nice old building with so much potential. It has a lovely old pub feel to it and just needs some TLC. Killinghall has more homes and families than ever so it could do well.”
Read more:
- Killinghall cricket club keeps pub-less village spirit alive
- Final approval for 135 homes in Killinghall
Sam Smith’s occasionally posts adverts looking for people to run the pub but it has been closed for about five years. Mr Smith said:
“I know others in the village want to see it re-open. I’m hoping somebody might have an idea on where we go from here but I don’t have a massive amount of hope.”
The Stray Ferret attempted to contact Samuel Smith’s but has not yet received a reply.
Tesco has begun advertising for 15 staff to work at the Express store that is being built on the site of the former Three Horseshoes pub.
The advert initially said the positions were for a Jack’s store, which is Tesco’s budget brand, but a spokesman for the company told the Stray Ferret this was an error and it would be an Express.
The Tesco spokesman also said a planning application for the proposed new full size Tesco store in Harrogate, about a mile from the site of the Killinghall Express, was “imminent”.
