Campaigners aiming to buy the Cardigan Arms pub and bring it into community ownership have agreed to partner with Kirkstall Brewery.
The independent brewery had offered to partner with not-for-profit community group The Cardigan Arms Communities Pub Ltd in their bid to take over the Kirkstall Road pub.
The group’s bid to buy the pub – one of the top 200 heritage pubs in Britain – was launched after current owners Greene King put the building up for sale for £295,000.
Chris Hill, one of the campaigners leading the community bid, said the decision was taken at a meeting last Thursday. He added:
“The group weighed up the arguments for going it alone, backing out in favour of Kirkstall Brewery or negotiating a 50/50 partnership where we put in equal money and co-manage the pub.
“There was near unanimous support for the partnership if we can make sure that the shared management of the pub takes community benefit seriously.”
Mr Hill said a steering group will be formed to progress the community bid, which will meet weekly on Thursdays. The group will organise fundraising events, promote the share issue, researching the social benefit from the pub and connecting and learning from other community pubs.
Anyone interested in joining the steering group can email chris.hill@cardiganarms.coop.
As previously reported, a public meeting attended by 75 people last month gave its support to the possible community buy out of the Grade II Listed pub.
The group is applying for £150,000 towards the scheme from the Plunkett Foundation, which supports communities to set up and run community co-operatives, with the aim of raising a total of around £350,000.
Kirkstall Brewery, which can trace its heritage back to the 1800s, is situated on the side of the Leeds Liverpool canal near the student accommodation of the same name. Last year it submitted plans for a new larger facility at the site of a former milk distribution depot on Kirkstall Road.