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30
Mar
Former Leeds United player puts Cattal pub on market
A former Leeds United footballer has put a Cattal pub on the market as he looks to retire from hospitality after 41 years.
Steve Balcombe has owned The Victoria pub and restaurant next to the village station for 21 years.
Mr Balcombe, who played for Leeds in the late 1970s and early 80s, has owned and operated various pubs in the area, including the Duke of Wellington in East Keswick, The Crown Inn at Great Ouseburn and The Bull Inn at West Tanfield.
Now, he is looking to sell the Cattal pub which is on the market with a freehold asking price of £850,000.
In a statement, Mr Balcombe and his wife Gillian said:
We have absolutely loved our time here at The Victoria, and we have some amazingly loyal customers. It will be with a heavy heart that we hand over the keys when the time comes, because we’ve loved every minute of it.
In the meantime, it is still business as usual, and we are gearing up for a very busy spring-summer.
The 0.97-acre site sits next to Cattal station and offers the potential for further development, according to Christie and Co which is marketing the pub.
A large area of unused land currently serves as overflow parking but could be transformed, subject to planning permission, into additional income-generating space such as glamping pods, lodges or accommodation.
Meanwhile, the pub also features a garden with seating for more than 100 customers, as well as parking for approximately 50 cars.
The first-floor owner’s accommodation includes three bedrooms, a lounge, kitchen-diner and bathroom, making it well suited to both owner-operators and those looking to introduce a management structure.
David Cash, regional director at Christie and Co, said:
Opportunities to acquire freehold free houses in such advantageous trading locations rarely come to market.
The business has traded consistently well for two decades and has huge potential for growth, with or without the new housing development. We expect interest from corporate pub companies as well as regional and local multi-site operators.
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