Landlady hopes new status will protect Gosport pub

A PUB has been named an asset of community value to secure its future.
Deana Geary, landlady of the Junction Tavern in GosportDeana Geary, landlady of the Junction Tavern in Gosport
Deana Geary, landlady of the Junction Tavern in Gosport

The Junction Tavern is the first pub in Gosport to be given the status and it is hoped it will set a precedent.

The decision to make the pub an asset of community value was made by Gosport Borough Council’s policy and Organisation board.

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It means that if the owner has to close the pub, the community and landlady Deana Geary have six months to raise the money to save it.

Deana, who has been landlady for six years, said: ‘I was delighted when I found out.

‘Most of the people who drink here are regulars and it is a very popular pub.

‘It is a huge relief to know that if it faces closure we can do something about it.

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‘Hopefully this will be a stepping stone for other pubs in Gosport.’

The Campaign for Real Ale, an organisation which promotes traditional British pubs, applied to the council for the Junction Tavern to get the status. Last year, the pub was almost threatened with closure.

Deana, 42, added: ‘When the brewery wanted to sell the pub last year, I wanted to take it on but I couldn’t raise the funds needed. Now it’s an asset of community value, we have the time and support to keep it open.’

Ward councillor Peter Chegwyn welcomed the news.

He said: ‘In most cases, pubs close because they don’t make a lot of money.

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‘But the Junction Tavern has had money invested in it and is a terrific community pub. It is a little gem that’s very popular with people living nearby.

‘It becoming an asset of community value sends out the message that the council sees the pub as something to be valued.

‘It is great news for the town and hopefully it will set a precedent for other pubs too.’

As previously reported in The News, The Middlecroft pub on Grange Crescent has recently closed and permission was given by the council to turn the Barley Mow, on Ann’s Hill Road, into housing after it shut last year.

The Fox and Hounds pub in Denmead was taken over by the Fox and Hounds Denmead co-operative after the group raised £500,000 to refurbish it. It is also an asset of community value.

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