Old Hucknall boozer The Portland Arms is up for sale - and the community could buy it and keep it as a pub

The Portland Arms on Annesley Road and the flats above it are on the market for £450,000.

The pub closed in 2019 and the first and second floors have been converted into four flats.

According to Veritas Business Sales, which is marketing the pub: “A new purchaser can either re-open and trade the ground floor as a pub themselves or offer it on lease

"Alternatively you could convert the ground floor into three flats subject to obtaining the correct planning permission.

And while housing developers will undoubtedly be interested in the latter option, the local community could, if it wanted, club together to help buy the building and keep it as a pub as it is subject to an Assets of Community Value order from Ashfield District Council, although this just applies to the ground-floor pub area and cellar and not the flats above.

A council spokesperson said: “Assets of community value aims to keep valued land and buildings in community use by giving local people the chance to bid to buy them, if and when they come onto the market.

“Assets of community value are those places which further the wellbeing or social interests such as cultural, recreational and sporting interests, of a community.

"The register may include village shops, village halls, pubs, former schools, swimming pools or public open spaces.

"These might currently be in public ownership, but they could also be owned by a private company or an individual.

"Once land or a building are on the register the owner must let the council know if they intend to sell it.

"Community groups then have six weeks to decide if they want to bid to buy it.

"If they do, they have six months to produce their bid.

"If no community groups want to bid, then the owner is free to sell at the end of the first six-week period.”