Lymington and Pennington Town Council call on NFDC to give White Hart 'community asset' status

COMMUNITY leaders are calling for a 200-year-old Pennington pub to be given extra protection to help keep it as a local watering hole.

Lymington and Pennington Town Council has applied to New Forest District Council to recognise the White Hart as an “asset of community value”.

If granted by NFDC, the status would mean local residents must be consulted before any move to sell the premises by parent company Stonegate.

Pennington councillor Jack Davies said “lessons” have been learnt after other historically significant buildings in the town were sold privately before they could be preserved.

Cllr Davies said: “We’ve already lost the WI Hall, which should also have been listed as an asset of community value.

“That’s why we’re trying to learn that lesson and make sure we don’t make the same mistake again with the pub.

“The White Hart has been in Pennington for hundreds of years. It’s an important part of the community and we don’t want to lose it.

“Frankly, people around here are worried about the increase in retirement housing in both Lymington and Pennington.

“I want to see Pennington keep its identity as a separate community, not an add-on of Lymington.

“Pennington has a number of historical buildings, from the late medieval era to the early Victorian, and we want to keep them as commercial buildings rather than see them all converted into offices or flats.”

Cllr Davies said he hoped NFDC will grant the White Hart status as a community asset to create “an extra level of protection”.

White Hart landlady Laura Pollard told the A&T: “We’re very pleased to see this application being made.

“We’re part of the community here and having this status is a good way to make sure it stays in the community rather than become just another residential building.”

Asset of community value status means that if the owner wishes to sell it they must first notify NFDC.

The authority then has to advise relevant community groups who have an “interim moratorium” of six weeks to register themselves as a potential bidder.

If this happens, the owner cannot dispose of the land for at least six months, giving residents time to form their own bid.

The business owner can market the site and negotiate with potential buyers but no contracts can be exchanged until the six months is up.

Lymington and Pennington Town Council unanimously supported the application to protect the White Hart.Town councillors had worked with the clerk to write a report on the proposal to apply for community asset status before seeking the support of the whole council.