16th Century village pub becomes a community asset

A 16th Century pub has been given protected status after it was listed as an Asset of Community Value.

Leeds City Council's decision means that if The Chequers in Ledsham is ever put up for sale, the community has a legal right to bid for the building first.

The parish council said their nomination was "pre-emptive" because it was an important social hub for the village.

The inn dates back to 1540 and was once part of the nearby Ledston Hall estate.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service said that parish councillors had submitted that the pub was a "vital meeting place" for the east Leeds community.

Asset of Community Value legislation is designed to protect community buildings from inappropriate development and changes of use.

If the clause was triggered, a community group would be given the opportunity to raise the capital to buy The Chequers with a view to running it themselves before an offer could be accepted on the open market.

A Ledsham Parish Council spokesperson said: “As the centre of the village’s social life, the council felt it was sensible to nominate the inn as an ACV.

“As far as we know, there are no plans to sell the inn in the near future so the nomination was pre-emptive, to give the council an opportunity to look at funding a bid if and when the inn were to come up for sale.”

A city council report said The Chequers Inn was previously awarded the status in 2016, but that had lapsed after a five-year period.

The report said: “In addition to events such as weddings, the Chequers Inn hosts meetings for organising committees of local events as well as club dinners and charity events.

“Ledsham Parish Council state that the Chequers Inn is a meeting place for all in the absence of a community centre and attracts customers from far and wide.”

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