Landlord says villagers are treating him like the 'anti-Christ' after he shut its only pub while planning to replace it with luxury homes Drew Donaldson owns the Fox and Hounds pub in Llanharry, south Wales His decision to close the village 'meeting place' has caused an uproar By Cameron Roy Published: 13:03 EDT, 12 August 2024 | Updated: 13:12 EDT, 12 August 2024 e-mail 20 View comments A landlord says villagers are treating him like the 'anti-Christ' after he shut its only pub and announced plans to replace it with luxury homes. Drew Donaldson who owns the Fox and Hounds pub in Llanharry, south Wales, closed the pub in December due to rising costs and a lack of customers. But the decision has caused an uproar in the village as locals claim without the community asset and 'meeting place' village life will be damaged.
The furious locals have now launched a campaign against the plans which involve putting up 'save our pub' posters around the village. More than 600 villagers out of a population of 3,500 joined an online protest group to block Mr Donaldson's aim to turn the pub into three houses. The frustrated landlord said: 'I can't even go to the shop now there.
I'm like the antichrist of Llanharry.' (left to right) Eifion Edwards, Mike Meredith and Adam Purchase are leading the villager's campaign to stop the pub from turning into luxury homes Drew Donaldson who owns the Fox and Hounds pub (pictured) in Llanharry, south Wales, closed the pub in December due to rising costs and lack of customers Mr Donaldson, who is a builder by trade, has put in a planning application to turn the pub into two separate four-bedroom homes and to build a third four-bedroom home on the land as well. Pictured: The plans for the ground floor and the first floor He said he was forced to close the pub after the villagers refused to turn up and drink enough.
'You lose it if you don't use it', he said. Read More Pubs vanishing faster than expected as number of boozers demolished or converted jumps by a third 'You have to ask yourself the question: "If there are 600 or more people in a group opposing what I'm trying to do, why were those people not supporting the pub when it was open?" 'There were some who'd come down. People would come down once a month and have a beer.
That's not enough. 'My costs were going up this whole time. You can't just go on losing money.
' 'When you spend 600 quid on a band and you get 16 people and it's Christmas Eve, you've got to ask yourself: "What am I doing here?" He put the pub on the market - but said no one was interested in taking it over. Mr Donaldson, who is a builder by trade, has put in a planning application to turn the pub into two separate four-bedroom homes and to build a third four-bedroom home on the land as well. The Fox and Hounds pub (pictured inside) has been on the market but the landlord said no one was interested in taking it over Shops in the village have letters objecting to Mr Donaldson's plans on their counters and a cafe has put posters up with the headline: 'Save our pub' Pictured here are plans for the luxury homes, with the front of the property above and the rear below The plans (pictured) also involve using the land of the pub to build four-bedroom home as well Shops in the village have letters objecting to Mr Donaldson's plans on their counters and a cafe has put posters up with the headline: 'Save our pub.
' Read More Pubs vanishing faster than expected as number of boozers demolished or converted jumps by a third Eifion Edwards, who has printed off letters opposing the plans, said: 'People really care here. We want our pub back. 'It's in a great location, has fantastic potential, and it's an excellent community asset.
The reaction from the entire village and the support and momentum we've got is extremely important.' Mike Meredith, who has lived in Llanharry, located near Cardiff, for more than 60 years, claimed: 'He has been there for years and slowly ran it downhill so it wasn't a surprise when it closed. It was like a liquified agony.
' 'We know it's perfectly normal along a high street for two or three pubs to close. That's the way it's going. This is different.
'This is a village and a pub isn't just a pub. It's a meeting place and it's crucial. If you are the local plasterer or plumber you get your business there.
That's how it still works here.' Wales Share or comment on this article: Landlord says villagers are treating him like the 'anti-Christ' after he shut its only pub while planning to replace it with luxury homes e-mail Add comment.
