The Old Horn at Spennithorne: Owners of Yorkshire Dales pub apply to convert it into housing as it is 'no longer viable' due to social change

Paul and Christine Hornsby have run The Old Horn at Spennithorne, between Leyburn and Bedale, for three years and have put the inn on the market, but could not find a buyer.

They have now applied to Richmondshire Council to turn the 18th-century building – which has traded as a pub since around 1810 – into two one-bedroom homes.

In a report submitted with their application, the Hornsbys’ agent points out that the ‘small and intimate’ pub would have originally opened to serve farm workers and would have been wet-led. It lacks capacity to serve more than 40 covers – the minimum for viability usually being considered 50 – and does not have a car park, thus stifling its potential food offering. The village now has a population of around 200, with many being retirees and some properties let as holiday cottages, meaning few residents work in agriculture or other local activities.

Yet the proposal has attracted numerous objections from locals and the parish council, who claim the pub provides a vital social function for sports teams as well as being the last inn remaining in the village.

Spennithorne Parish Council said: “The pub offers a lifeline for village social interaction and its closure would have a significant impact on social interactions within the village for both young and older generations. An example of this is the regular Parish Lunch, which takes place in The Old Horn.

“The local community were not, prior to the submission of this application, given an opportunity/option to explore the possibility of a community pub model or to seek to have the pub registered as a Community Asset. Residents should at the very least be given time to explore these avenues before the application is determined. A local residents group has been formed with the intention of pursuing both these avenues to fruition.”

The agent’s report claimed it would be ‘almost impossible’ for The Old Horn to attract passing trade due to its location on a quiet country road, and claims that it ‘has not been the case that the villagers supported the pub in the past’ and that previous operators had ‘alienated’ residents.

They concluded that it could not sustain itself as a wet-led business, but would require significant refurbishment, car parking and to attract custom from a wider area to turn a profit as a catering offer.

The application is currently under consideration.