Hopes raised that a long-vacant York pub could soon re-open again

At least part of a landmark pub could soon be brought back to life.

Campaigners fought long and hard to save all of The Jubilee on Balfour Street as a pub and community hub.

It was bought by Dominic Woodward of Tri-Core Developments in 2016, with a view to converting the whole thing into six apartments.

These plans were later downgraded to a conversion of the first floor and roof space only into three flats, retaining the pub and function room downstairs. But despite City of York Council twice rejecting this proposal, he won a planning appeal.

Now work is underway to find new tenants to run the ground floor pub.

It is being marketed by Christie & Co on an IRI (internal repairing and insuring) ten-year lease. An IRI lease is for part of a building where the cost of internal repairs only falls on the tenant.

Christie’s say the Jubilee is an exciting opportunity for “an experienced local or multi-site operator to acquire a traditional pub-restaurant site with a substantial beer garden, just one mile from the centre of York”.

Jubilee Timeline

Six years of toing and froing at The Jubilee

The fight to save the historic pub took many twists and turns

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2016: Tri-Core buys the pub from Enterprise Inns. Locals successfully get the pub listed as an Asset of Community Value (ACV), but are unhappy that the timing means they miss out on the chance to bid for the pub. Mr Woodward applies to turn the whole building into six flats.

2017: The city council say they can’t consider that plan until they see evidence that the pub has been marketed, so it is advertised for sale. A sale looks to have been agreed, but falls through.

2018: Mr Woodward revives his plans, proposing four flats on the upper floors and a reduced pub on the ground floor. The council refuses his application, citing the “unnecessary loss of valued and important social, recreational and cultural facilities”.

2019: Mr Woodward has appealed, but a planning inspector upholds the council’s decision. By now, 800 locals have signed a petition calling for the pub to be protected.

2020: Mr Woodward tables fresh plans to convert the upper floors into four flats. The plan is subsequently amended to three flats, with the retention of the pub’s first-floor function room.

2021: Council planning officers recommend the plan for approval, but the planning committee votes 10-1 against it, after being told the smaller pub would be ‘unviable’. Locals describe the outcome as brilliant and three months later they secure a renewal of the pub’s ACV status. But in December, locals receive the news that Tri-Core has lodged another appeal.

2022: This time, Tri-Core is successful. The planning inspector allows the appeal, meaning three flats can be built in the upper floors. The function room, ground floor and beer garden should remain as a pub.

Inside The Jubilee in 2017. Photograph: Nick Love

They say local residents are excited at the prospect of the Jubilee reopening, albeit in diminished size.

Senior business agent at Christie & Co Sam Ashton is handling the sale.

He said: “This is a fairly rare opportunity that a pub becomes available on a ‘nil premium’ offering near York centre.

“The incoming tenants have the opportunity to invest internally, treating it as their own blank canvas and starting a new ten-year lease.

“We look forward to engaging with new prospective leaseholders and agreeing terms.”

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Hopes raised that a long-vacant York pub could soon re-open again

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