THERE are calls to save a Forest village’s last pub which has been put up for auction.

Hearts of Oak in Drybook, which dates back nearly two centuries, has been listed for auction with a guide price of £200,000.

The current landlords are understood to be keen to keep operating the pub, six miles from Ross, but there is a break clause in their lease in 2028.

This has sparked concern among the village community of 2,700 that whoever buys the pub could apply for planning permission to turn it into houses.

As a result, Drybrook Parish Council have submitted a community asset bid to protect the building’s future as a pub.

Chairman Dave Middlemiss said the first the parish council knew about the pub going up for auction was when a sign was put up outside it.

“I spoke with the current landlord, who I work quite closely with, and they were shocked,” he said.

“As far as I’m aware they still haven’t been formally notified it is up for auction.”

The asset of community value designation protects local land or buildings that further social wellbeing, and triggers a community right to bid which would pause the sale for up to six months, giving community groups time to buy it.

“[The landlords] are quite keen for it to stay within the community,” he said.

Cllr Middlemiss said they had a very short window to put the application in to the Forest of Dean Council as they only found out about the auction last month.

“It was going to be auctioned on March 19.” he said. “What we don’t want to happen is for a developer to buy it and then build a load of houses or flats on it.”

He said the Hearts of Oak, formerly the New Inn, has been in the village since 1838.

“We do events there,” he said. “We have raised tens of thousands of pounds there for charity over the years. It’s a real hub of the community.”

Saying it would be a real shame to lose it, he added: “It would just be another nail in the coffin for the Forest of Dean.”

Reform UK County Councillor Piers Camp hopes Drybrook wants to make sure the Hearts of Oak does not face the same fate as the Nelson Arms which was redeveloped.

“It’s a very active part of the community and we don’t want that to be forced away by someone coming in and developing the site,” he said.

“The problem is with house values the way they are, it’s worth more for any pub in the rural area to be turned into housing,”

“Ruardean, Ruardean Hill, Ruardean Woodside all had pubs when I grew up and they don’t have any pubs now,” he said. “A place the size of Ruardean without a pub. It’s a bit sad really.”

A Forest Council spokesperson said they recognise the important role that local pubs play in the life of their communities, and they are committed to assessing every asset of community value (ACV) nomination thoroughly and in line with the legal framework that applies.

“As with all ACV nominations, it is important that nominators provide the required information in a timely manner so that applications can be validated and progressed without delay,” a spokesperson said.

“Once a nomination is validated, we work to an eight-week decision timeframe in line with national guidance used by many councils.

“After validation, we notify the property owner and other relevant parties to gather their views, and the nominating group is then given an opportunity to respond.

“This exchange is an integral part of the process and can take time to ensure that all perspectives are fully and fairly considered.”

“We appreciate the strong community interest in this building’s future and will continue to follow the required process so that a robust and lawful decision can be made.”

People wishing to express their support for the community asset bid for the pub can email their comments to Drybrook Parish Council at [email protected]