Residents win right to buy village pub and vow to fight home plan
Inn’s owner says ‘They have won battle but lost war, I am staying put, they know it’s not for sale’
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Aberdeenshire residents have won the right to buy their own village pub, and are vowing to fight plans to turn it into a home.
Midmar Inn owner David Cooper said: “They have won a battle but lost a war. I am staying put. They know it’s not for sale.”
He closed the centuries-old pub last September and has lodged plans to change it to residential use.
Locals formed The Friends of Midmar Inn Community Company and have been awarded the right to buy the roadside inn under the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003.
They have submitted over 100 objections to closure and conversion of their “local”.
The campaigners hope to buy the inn and reopen it as a community amenity.
Friends secretary and local resident Margot Kennedy said: “We hope Aberdeenshire Council planners and councillors will also now take note of the Scottish ministers’ decision, and ruling that reinstating the inn will serve the public interest.”
Right-to-buy legislation is associated with crofters, but also enables locals to seek the right to buy buildings for the benefit of a community.
Citing a similar case over a Borders inn, Mrs Kennedy said: “Should the Midmar Inn be put on the market, the community body now have first refusal to buy and will be given six months to do so.
“The application was an expensive and arduous business.
“We had to raise £800 and demonstrate our ideas for the future of the Midmar Inn were compatible with furthering sustainable development, would increase the social and economic advantage to the community, and had community support.”
Mrs Kennedy, who lives at nearby Upper Balblair, added: “There is huge ill-feeling and sadness over the loss of the inn.
“It really was the hub of the community and hugely popular in the past.
“We are convinced it could be again, not only as a vital amenity in a scattered but tight-knit community but important in attracting tourism to an area rich in history.”
But Mr Cooper said: “There is a lot of animosity towards me over this, but I am staying and not selling. The pub is closed and will become our private home.
“There is no future in the property as an inn, but people seem to think we should be sitting here anyway 24/7 so that they can pop in for one or two pints a week.”
Mr Cooper, who ran the inn with partner Debi Begg, added: “Debi and I didn’t want to close the pub, we had to. The people who are complaining now weren’t regulars in any real sense.”
The businessman, who also runs an oil consultancy, said: “We really relied on people from Aberdeen who came out regularly to dine, and who are still our friends.”
He explained that rising costs in everything from liability insurance to fuel had led to the closure after three years in the business.
“The inn itself is held together with chewing gum and sticking plasters, having received just cosmetic maintenance over the years. It would cost £175,000 just to bring it up to standard.
“These people have no idea of what’s involved and certainly didn’t support Midmar Inn when it was open. The central heating finally packed in at Hogmanay, in the middle of winter.”
Mr Cooper added: “I own this building 100% with no mortgage and I’ll do as I see fit with my property.”
A Scottish Government spokeswoman said the community would have first option on the inn if it went on the market. That status could be renewed every five years even if it becomes a home, although the independent valuation and finding would be subject to reappraisal.
Mrs Kennedy said: “That is what we intend to do. The fight goes on to save Midmar Inn as a vital part of our community and heritage.”
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