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Search the Public Notice PortalCampaigners are fighting to save a listed pub at the heart of a village near Saffron Walden.
The community group, Littlebury Community Pub Ltd, and Littlebury Parish Council are pushing to give the former Queens Head, High Street, Littlebury, the status of an asset of community value, which would protect the site from development and sale.
Pub chain Greene King are selling the pub site, which closed in May last year.
The site has been used for a pub or inn for around 600 years, according to the parish council.
The campaigners say they are "poised ready" to buy the pub and run it as a "community business for the benefit of all" if the sale falls through. The pub chain was unable to comment on how much is it being sold for and who is buying it.
The group was set up to hold events and fundraise in an attempt to buy the pub and return it to its former use.
The campaign has support of actor Cliff Parisi, known for appearing in Call the Midwife and EastEnders.
He told the BBC how the village had raised £350,000 to buy the pub, including children who "raided their piggy banks" and older residents who offered money from their pensions.
Littlebury Parish Council has applied for the change in status.
The application form states: "Littlebury has lost the heart of the village and the residents do not have a central place to meet in the village.
"The Queen’s Head, Littlebury should be listed to preserve the heart of the village. It is a Grade II Listed property and research shows there has been an Inn on this site for at least 300 years, but probably as far back as 500-600 years ago
"The Queen’s Head is the last pub in Littlebury and is integral to the social wellbeing of the local residents.
"This has been demonstrated by the forming of the ‘Littlebury Community Pub Ltd’ and the securing of the finances to purchase the pub."
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There are also 29 letters in support of the change of status of the former pub.
A Greene King spokesperson said: “After much consideration, we have made the difficult decision to sell The Queen’s Head in Littlebury as an asset of community value.
"The pub will be purchased by a local individual with strong links to the village who has assured us it will be run by an experienced local pub operator and will continue to serve the local community going forward.”
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