A PUB that has been closed for more than two decades needs council intervention to re-open it, according to a resident who wants to take it over.

Oxford Mail:

The Unicorn, the only pub in Great Rollright, near Chipping Norton, above, has remained boarded up and empty since it was shut in 1991.

West Oxfordshire District Council last week commissioned a structural survey of up to £10,000 to find out what work needs doing.

But villager James Burrough wants it to reach a deal with the pub owners to sell the pub but allow building on land behind it, such as for housing.

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Mr Burrough, director of the Real Wood Furniture Company in Woodstock, said he would use it as a pub, village shop and Post Office.

This would return a shop and Post Office to the village and it could also include a cafe and arts and crafts gallery, he said.

Married dad-of-one Mr Burrough, 40, said: “When it closed it was a profitable pub but it just sits there empty.

“It’s a complete eyesore for anyone passing through Great Rollright.

“The only thing we have as a community is a village hall. The population is slightly older so people have limited mobility and need a community space like this.

“It would also encourage tourism, which the village used to be very famous for.

“People would walk through regularly and stop at the pub and then go see the Rollright Stones but now there’s nowhere for them to stop so they go elsewhere.”

He said he would run the business with father-in-law Terry Chevis, who has run The Kingswell in Harwell for more than 25 years.

The council has refused plans to turn the pub into a private home and said it needs a complete refurbishment including at least a new floor, ceiling, bar and furniture.

Owners the Prindiville family have put it up for sale but Mr Burrough but said it would have cost a “completely unrealistic” £265,000 with a further £150,000 in investment.

He said: “The local attitude to the building is that time goes on and on but nothing changes.

“We just see the council putting money in all the time but it doesn’t stop it from going on a downwards slide.

“Taxpayers’ money has gone into a building that hasn’t done much and it’s actually got worse.”

Council spokeswoman Carys Davies said: “We are very aware of the ongoing community interest in the pub and the need to retain it as an important listed building.

“It has unfortunately deteriorated over the years and we have been monitoring its state and have taken action on a number of occasions to seek to safeguard its future.

“We are now looking into further options, which is why we are carrying out an additional survey so that whatever is proposed the full costs and consequences are clearly identified.”

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