A HISTORIC village pub has been given a new status in the hope of protecting its future.

Residents in Weston-in-Gordano have successfully applied for The White Hart Inn to be classed as an Asset of Community Value.

This now means if the owners ever wish to sell it, they will have to notify North Somerset Council before a grace period comes into place giving the community the chance to develop a bid for the building.

The idea was introduced under the Government’s Localism Act 2011 to give communities the chance to protect buildings and facilities they believe are integral to where they live.

The Clevedon Road pub shut in August after the landlords, Mike and Lyn Palomares, decided to cease trading. It has remained closed since then and villagers are keen to see it reopen soon.

Stuart Redway of The White Hart Inn interest group, which made the application to North Somerset Council before the pub even closed, said: “We wanted to do this because of the number of pubs closing down.

“We need to protect it as it is the only public social meeting place we have in the village. We don’t have a shop or a post office like other villages.

“We would like to see it open with a new management team very soon.”

A spokesman for the inn’s owners, Enterprise Inns said: “We can confirm the White Hart recently closed following the publican’s decision to cease trading.

“We would like to reassure the residents of Weston-in-Gordano our aim is for the pub to resume trading at the earliest opportunity.”