A village pub near York has been granted protected status amid ongoing efforts to reopen it.
City of York Council approved the bid to make The Fox Inn, in Stockton on the Forest, into an asset of community value (ACV) on Tuesday (5 August).
Council finance spokesperson Cllr Katie Lomas said approval recognised the importance of village pubs and she was happy to support it.
The decision follows an application lodged by York’s Campaign for Real Ale (Camra) branch for the pub to get ACV status following its closure in August last year.
The pub was bought by Fox & Forest Ltd, which is owned by villagers Kate Starkey and Philippa Myers, in June.
They are two of the four people from the village who are behind efforts to reopen and run the pub.
An application by Fox & Forest Ltd to licence the venue is awaiting a council decision.
Carma’s application for ACV stated they supported the bid to grant ACV status to the pub.
It was also backed at a public meeting held in the village which was attended by more than 100 people in April.
Liberal Democat Strensall ward councillor Tony Fisher has also backed the application.
ACVs are buildings which are deemed to support the social wellbeing and interests of local communities including through recreation, culture and sports.
If buildings have the status organisations are given time to try and raise funds to buy them if they are put up for sale under the Community Right to Bid.
Camra’s application stated The Fox Inn had offered food, hosted a weekly quiz night and served as a meeting space for local groups and sports teams when it was open.
It added there was overwhelming evidence that it had served and supported the local community and would continue to do so if it is successfully reopened.
Labour finance executive member Cllr Katie Lomas told a meeting on the application on Tuesday the venue would support a number of wonderful activities if it came back into use.
Cllr Lomas said: “I know how important local pubs are, particularly in villages where there’s often a lack of infrastructure for all these activities.”