Community pub plan is underway

Penistone Community Alehouse is a plan by locals to create a community-owned micropub in the centre of the market town. The post office premises would be transformed as part of the plan, with the post office retained and incorporated into the design. The move would safeguard the future of the post office on the town's high street, creating jobs and introducing a new community meeting space for residents.

The Penistone Community Alehouse website is now live and organisers are keen to hear the views of the community. If there continues to be a positive response to the plan, negotiations will continue with the building's landlord and a full planning application will be submitted to Barnsley Council. The project would be funded through a Community Share Offer, which is planned to go live in the new year, meaning the alehouse could be open as soon as late spring.

Marc Cooling, a Penistone resident who has spearheaded the project, said: 'The community alehouse has been really well received across the board. We've had a number of community meetings and have had presence at events such as Penistone Gala, Penistone Agricultural Show and the Tour de Yorkshire. Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.

'Now we need to hear the opinions of others in the community and are inviting them to fill in the consultation document and share their views. It's really important we ask the whole community so we get an impartial view.

'The alehouse would be run as a Community Benefit Society, which means the profits we make would be reinvested directly back into Penistone. It would support the Penistone community, bringing residents together and addressing social isolation.

'It will be a very different kind of pub - one that's owned by the community for the benefit of the community. The Post Office location means we're protecting the future of the Post Office in its present location and regenerating the old GT News premises. We're determined that the alehouse will be a much loved community asset and something we can be very proud of.'

Visit penistonecommunityalehouse.co.uk