Plough

From the https://www.kentlive.news By Ben Hatton, 5 February 2018.

People are clubbing together to buy a village pub near West Malling and they have got big plans for it.

After April, the pub can be sold to any bidder.

People are clubbing together to save their village pub and have ambitious plans for the site near West Malling.

Trottiscliffe residents have launched a bid to buy The Plough pub and need to raise the money to purchase before April.

The watering hole closed last year and the owner, who took over the site in May 2016, is considering selling after a bid for planning permission to turn the pub into housing was rejected in December.

The pub is listed as an Asset of Community Value and a moratorium is in place, which means any purchase must be made by an approved community group, if the owner decides to sell in that time.

The moratorium ends at the end of April, so any community bid to buy the pub needs to be made before then to guarantee no other party can acquire The Plough.

The Trosley Heritage Group, 14 members strong, is looking to do just that. It is still in negotiations with the owner, but has begun its campaign to attract support and raise the funds needed.

The group will put a share offer to residents at a meeting at Trottiscliffe Village Hall on March 7, at 7:30pm.

Ian Mills, who lives in the village and is leading the group, said: “Our vision is very much more than a pub. We would like to turn it into a multi-purpose public space.

“It is an ideal opportunity to improve a community asset.

“And where we are at the moment is we need to raise funds.”

The group is working with the Plunkett Foundation, a national organisation that supports the creation of community co-operatives.

Mr Mills hopes the site can also host community services such as a Post Office and shop, as well as providing a meeting place for various clubs, such as the darts and tennis teams, music groups, and the revival of the OAP lunch.

He said, “It can become a place for the entire village. Not everybody is going to drink in a pub but we are very lucky in Trottiscliffe that we have a very social village.

“We want a local meeting place.

“That is why it is worth saving, because we are blessed having two pubs, but The George – which is a very nice pub – is not targeted at offering those services.”

From the https://www.kentonline.co.uk By Luke May, 21 January 2020.

The Plough Inn, Trottiscliffe, saved from redevelopment by village committee.

Up and down the country there are campaigners fighting to save their local pub.

In Trottiscliffe, near West Malling, villagers can say that fight is nearly over.

Oliver Shaw, Ian Mills, Jeremy Comber, Alison Prountzos and Laura Piggott outside The Plough in Trottiscliffe.

In September 2017 The Plough Inn, a 500-year-old building made of two old farm cottages, was sold by Enterprise Inns.

At first it sounded like good news for the village. The pub had closed that July, 200 years since it had first got an alcohol licence.

Ian Mills explained: "We found out the pub had been sold, we though that was a good sale at the time.

"But it turned out it had been bought at by a property developer."

The private developer had eyes on converting the historic inn on Taylors Lane into a house and building a second home in its car park.

Villagers were quickly sacrificing their own time to protect the pub.

Sales and marketing director Mr Mills explained: "We're quite lucky in Trottiscliffe, we've got two pubs.

"The George is a destination pub, people come from miles away to enjoy the food and the atmosphere.

"But The Plough is very much our local, a lot of people believed it should be retained as a pub.

"At the time we were lucky, Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council agreed with us and marked it as a community asset, that protected it from development."

Ian Mills. Picture: Matthew Walker.

Since then the village has been on a mission - to raise enough money and buy the pub and protect it for itself.

Up to 30 people have dipped into their own coffers, raising £350,000 in the process.

Last Friday contracts were exchanged and The Plough officially became a community owned pub.

Mr Mills, from Pinesfield Lane, said: "We've still got to raise about £100,000 to cover the cost of the pub but I'm confident that money will come in. We have a tenant ready to go and we want to make sure the inside is looking ready."

After paying the £450,000 asking price, the committee expects to spend an extra £120,000 refurbishing the pub.

Once open, Mr Wells says the village is committed to making the pub work for locals.

The Pinesfield Lane resident: "We want to use local produce wherever possible. There is a cheesemaker in nearby Fairseat we'd like to use, Our village school has a small farm attached to it and we'd like to use eggs from there too.

"The pub is free house which means we're free to use any of the small microbreweries Kent has to offer."

To celebrate its nearing success, Trottiscliffe villagers will be able to meet The Plough's new tenant next month.

'Plough Uncorked ' will be at Trottiscliffe Village Hall on the evening of February 10 at 7pm.

The Plough will hopefully reopen at Easter.