Aston is a small affluent village, about 3 miles east of Stevenage in Hertfordshire. At the present time, it has around 860 on its electoral role and about 350 dwellings, a number of which are in the £1M + bracket. There is also a large development of around 650 dwellings currently being built on the outskirts of the Village which will probably incorporated into Stevenage, but whose eventual residents should be considered as potential customers.
The Rose & Crown traditionally classed as ‘The Village Pub’, closed in December 2014 when McMullens, the owner at the time, sold the site to developers. Later this year, the pumps will be active again thanks to a determined group of villagers who have bought the pub and prevented it being turned into residential accommodation.
Having bought the site, the developer submitted a series of planning applications for up to 10 homes on the plot. All were rejected by the local planning authority after substantial and organised objections from Aston Parish Council and Villagers.
In 2022 a deal was struck with the developer that saw local residents, now acting as ‘Rose & Crown Aston Ltd’, support a smaller housing development on part of the land, in return for the opportunity to purchase the building and associated land for garden and car parking. Over 80 residents of Aston are now shareholders in the company, having raised sufficient money to both purchase the property and carry out refurbishments prior to opening later this year.
The Rose & Crown had been part of Village life for decades, used by all generations and various sports and social clubs. It was heartbreaking to see it close and face the future as residential accommodation. The Village eagerly anticipates the reopening of the pub and wants to see a tenant who will be responsive to what the village and localcustomers want. The right tenant will see the love the Village has for the pub and help to make it a happy a successful and happy place once more.
We have appointed a contractor with extensive experience in pub refurbishment, with the aim that most of this work will be completed by the end of April 2024
We are looking for an experienced tenant to take on the lease to run the pub, with the primary aim that they understand what we are trying to achieve and build the community spirit once more.
Note: The land at the rear of the pub is being developed and planning permission has been given for six houses, a mix of 2, 3 and 4 bedrooms with additional car parking. A start has been made on clearing the ground and some footings are already in place. The builder estimates that they will complete the project by the end of this year. There is an additional barn which will be converted into a 2 bed property by a specialist contractor.
The Rose and Crown is a community owned pub with no beer tie
The building, which is Grade2 listed, has the following accommodation:
All of the areas shown in red are owned by Rose & Crown Aston Ltd.
This is the lounge bar/restaurant with a step (yet to be built) through. The toilets to the right hand side will have a door (yet to be hung) and the door on the far right leads to the rear car park. We estimate the space will provide for about 30+ covers.
This will be the ‘Public bar’ with separate toilets and two log burners at either end of the bar. Bar furniture including a 6 outlet ‘T bar’, 3 hand pumps and provision for soft drinks will be installed on the bar.
Please note that these are our suggestions as to which bar is used as the restaurant. The final decision will be made by the tenant.
The photos below show the side garden area and rear car park. The ground has been cleared and the garden area grass seeded.
Some form of separation will be provided to separate the garden from the car park
The rear car park has space for 9 places. A surface suitable for car parking will be provided. The 3 spaces behind the garden might on occasion, be used as a garden extension.
We have carried out a survey of the residents of Aston to see what they would like, from their community owned pub.
Some of the main replies are shown below:
We are offering a 6 year tenancy agreement with a 3 year break clause on either side at an indicative rent of £25,000 per annum with a payment structure to be agreed.
There will be no separate charge for fixture and fittings. By negotiation, landlords fixtures and fittings will include internal furniture, lighting, hand driers etc. Their maintenance will be the responsibility of the tenant.
If you would like any more information or if you may be interested in taking on the tenancy then please email:randcrownaston2018@gmail.com