Lifeline for The Plough Inn at Fadmoor

The Plough Inn at Fadmoor, near Kirkbymoorside, has been shut since 2011 and its owner, local IT millionaire Peter Wilkinson, has applied to convert the buildings into housing and holiday lets.

His plans have been the subject of major opposition in the village, as residents believe it has the potential to re-open as a pub due to its location at the 'gateway' to the National Park.

The saga has rumbled on for several years and now the North York Moors National Park Authority members have voted to defer the latest decision on the planning application.

They have also agreed to fund a viability study to establish whether The Plough could ever operate again as a business, and to investigate whether it can be compulsorily purchased from Mr Wilkinson to protect it.

Mr Wilkinson claimed the pub was running at a loss before its closure, despite it once having been listed in the Michelin Guide and having a six-month waiting list for tables.

The authority's decision is a victory for campaigners, who have previously had the pub listed as an Asset of Community Value and have expressed interest in running it themselves.

The Wilkinson family's latest proposals including turning part of the site into affordable accommodation for local people alongside the holiday lets.

The Freeserve internet pioneer claimed that the boarded-up pub was an 'eyesore' rather than an asset while it remains in limbo, and that a £350,000 offer he received from the Fadmoor Community Pub Company was unrealistic. It is valued at closer to £500,000. He also said that prior to 2011, the business received little custom from locals.

The National Park Authority's planning officers had warned its members that there was no longer any justification for refusing the development, as it was a sustainable use for the building.

Yet at a virtual meeting on July 16, the application was deferred. Members took into consideration both local opinion and Mr Wilkinson's desire to see a new use for the building.

The Asset of Community Value status was first granted by Ryedale Council in 2013 and renewed last year. The Fadmoor Community Pub Company approached the council to request that a Compulsory Purchase Order was slapped on the site to protect it.

A statement from the North York Moors National Park Authority said: "In light of both arguments, the Authority has made the decision to defer the application and will now pay for an economic viability assessment to confirm whether or not the Plough Inn could once more be brought back into use as a viable public house.

"We will also request that Ryedale Council confirms whether or not they are pursuing a Compulsory Purchase Orders, to back up their listing of the building as an Asset of Community Value, which would enable the council to obtain the property to make it available for the local community to run as a public house."

Wilkinson owned and ran The Plough for 10 years before he put it on the market in 2011. At the time, the web tycoon, who has appeared in the Sunday Times Rich List, claimed he was investing £35,000 per year in the venture to keep it open, but that it was no longer economically viable. He also owns The Royal Oak in the neighbouring village of Gillamoor, which is more successful because it has guest accommodation attached.

Fadmoor's village chapel, shop and post office all closed before The Plough and it has been left with few amenities.

The Wilkinsons own the Bransdale and Pennyholme shooting estate in the area. Peter, who founded free internet service provider Freeserve, is a Leeds United fan who has been touted as a potential buyer of the club in the past.