The Manor House pub in Portsmouth could reopen as councillor seeks to restore "heart of community" location
A Drayton councillor is working to reopen a pub that was “at the heart of the community” nearly a year after its sudden closure.
The Manor House Pub in Court Lane, Drayton, shut its doors on November 24 last year following a surprise announcement by its owner, Greene King. Until its closure, local patrons and councillors had been campaigning to keep the pub open, arguing that it had “served the community for over 80 years”.
Nearly a year later, Portsmouth City Councillor Spencer Gardner, who represents Drayton and Farlington Ward, said he and local residents “are still trying to secure a future for the building”.
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He added: “This pub was at the heart of the community, and it has now sat empty for nearly a year. Greene King seem reluctant to engage with the Committee formed with the aim of making a community purchase of the pub. They are refusing to ‘open up the books’ and share financial details essential to allow the group to seek financing by way investments and applying for grants. As we approach the year anniversary of the closure, I am calling on Greene King to get the round the table with myself and the Committee to discuss how we can work together to bring the much-loved pub back in to use for our local community.
“In addition to a cherished community asset being sat empty, I am receiving increasing complaints from residents about the state of the building concerned it is becoming and eyesore and worry it has started to attract antisocial behaviour. Greene King says on its website that their pubs’ foundations are the people and communities that they bring together. I’m calling on them to commit to that ethos and speak with the Committee and explore the possibility of a community purchase”.
An online petition to reopen the pub has garnered 2,252 signatures, while the Facebook group “Save the Manor House Pub” has 2,116 members. The pub has been designated as an Asset of Community Value, enabling the community to bid for the building if the owner chooses to sell. Before reopening in March 2020, the pub underwent a six-figure refurbishment.