Plans for villagers in Iden to buy The Bell have been agreed, with a public meeting next week to discuss the plans for the public house.
The Bell has been closed since June 2023. The new proposals will see it re-open in 2026.
There had been fears the pub could have been converted into housing, however a recent request to change the use of the building was rejected after a large number of objections. Proposals to remove the pub’s listed building status were also turned down.
The meeting, at 6.30pm in Iden Village Hall on Thursday 18 December, will hear how the sale of the building has been agreed with the current owners for £425,000. The Bell will be bought jointly by Christopher Strangeways, with the community raising £225,000 through a share offer launched in January next year.
Negotiations are also underway with John Rogers, the owner of The Globe in Rye, to refit and run the pub.
The publican, who is a partner in the award-winning pub design company RjR Creative Thinking, says The Bell has huge potential. “Our aim is to make it a real country pub. We want to take advantage of the history and architecture, and make it a lovely inn for locals and visitors.”
and take advantage of the building and the space . The Globe is The Globe, but The Bell has has also been involved in negotiating the sale price.
The Bell at Iden will be owned by a Community Benefit Society with a number of local people as trustees.
Chair Jeremy Cooper said he was delighted with news. “Iden has sorely missed the lovely Bell since its closure three years ago, and its reopening in the Spring as a sister pub to The Globe will be a very special occasion for us all and will breathe new life into the village. So exciting!”
There are more details about the proposals at www.bellatiden.com.
Image Credits: Hugh Kermode .