An application has been lodged for The Frog in Upton to be listed as an Asset of Community Value in an effort to help safeguard its future.
The newly reopened Liverpool Road pub shut under its previous management just three months after they took it over but new landlord Nathan Warrilow is determined to restore it to its former glory.
Now an idea by Upton ward councillor Jill Houlbrook and Chester and South Clwyd CAMRA to give the watering hole extra protection should its owners ever put it up for sale or seek to change the building’s function has won the backing of Upton-by-Chester Parish Council, which has submitted an Asset of Community Value (ACV) registration bid to Cheshire West and Chester Council.
Ian Williams, of Chester and South Clwyd CAMRA’s Pub Protection Group, explained: “We identified a number of pubs which we considered most at risk from permanent closure.
“The Frog in Upton was one of these included due to its recent history of short-term leases followed by closures so we were delighted to hear it was reopening with a new enthusiastic landlord in Nathan.
“An ACV has two major benefits for pubs; firstly it removes permitted development rights so any change of use has to go to a full planning application.
“Secondly, it gives the local community a right to bid for the pub if it comes up for sale.
“We’ve already seen with the incredibly successful fight to keep The Centurion in Vicars Cross as a pub how important ACV status can be, as the community is currently putting a bid together to run The Centurion as a co-operative venture.”
Cllr Houlbrook added: “Nathan is making a difference in Upton and I’m sure he and The Frog will be great assets to our community.”
Other pubs in the area listed as ACVs include The Albion Inn, The Golden Lion in Ashton Hayes, The Bird in Hand in Guilden Sutton, The Red Lion in Malpas, The Railway Inn in Helsby and The Greyhound in Saughall.
The Frog’s kitchen will launch its ‘elegant’ modern British menu on Monday, July 18.
