Fittleworth villagers fight to save ancient pub

The Swan in Lower Street closed down in December 2020 due to ‘insurmountable losses’ due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The sad closure left Fittleworth villagers without a pub ever since, but now residents are coming together to call on Chichester District Council to help them protect it for future generations.

An online petition has garnered 2,192 signatures a the time of writing and hopes to convince the district council to register the pub as an Asset of Community Value.

It is currently being sold with leisure property specialists Fleurets at an estimated £1.25million plus VAT.

Wade Houlden set up the petition on change.org and said The Swan has ‘always been a focal point of village life’ but said after being ‘neglected’, and is now under threat of being repurposed.

Wade said: “We would like Chichester District Council to recognise the Swan’s importance as an integral part of this community and register it as an Asset of Community Value, to help us protect it from being converted and become yet another historic pub lost forever, and to see it reopen and thrive once again.

“We the undersigned ask that the Swan Inn, Fittleworth, be registered as an Asset of Community Value by Chichester District Council.”

A spokesperson for Chichester District Council said: “An Asset of Community Value is a building or piece of land that is considered to benefit social wellbeing or the social interests of a community and could do so in the future. Parish councils, community groups of at least 21 members, and not-for-private-profit organisations can all nominate assets to be on the register, and they can do so by filling in and submitting a nomination form.

“We can confirm that we have received a nomination for The Swan Inn to be added as an Asset of Community Value. This nomination is currently being considered and a decision will be made in due course.

"We would encourage anyone who’d like to put forward an asset to be considered for the register, to visit our designated webpage at: www.chichester.gov.uk/communityrighttobid, where they can find more information and download a form to fill in and submit to our Communities team, who will then review the nomination.”

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