The Blue Boar latest update

As you all know, The Blue Boar has not operated as a pub for well over a year now and we’re still focused on being able to buy it and operate it as a community enterprise, much like our very successful community shop.

The pub was put on the market again late last year at an asking price of £650,000. As we shared in an earlier update with supporters, an offer was submitted for The Blue Boar in May based on an expert valuation by Christie & Co. The offer was for £325,000 – at the high end of the valuation at the time. We received no response to that offer.

In August, we were notified that The Blue Boar was listed for auction with Pattinsons Auctions with a guide price of £510,000. At around the same time, The Gull Inn, in Framingham Pigot, a pub very comparable to the Blue Boar, was sold at auction for £260,000. It had been listed at £800,000 in 2023, and listed again at £600.000 in 2024.

We consulted again with Christie & Co. who agreed that market conditions would now lead to a lower valuation, so we retracted our earlier offer and have put in a new offer of £260,000. Thus far, we have not received a response to that offer.

The Blue Boar is still registered as an Asset of Community Value (ACV) for an initial term that lasts until 2029. Some of you may have heard on the news that the Government has announced legislation to give communities the right to buy (as opposed to the current right-to-bid) ACVs along with new funding (details still to be confirmed) to support community purchases.

We will keep an eye on the progress of this legislation alongside our ongoing attempts to achieve an amicable and fair outcome for all involved.