A TEESSIDE MP has said he is 'disappointed' after a council refused to consider a Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) to save a well-loved pub.

After being contacted by residents, Matt Vickers MP for Stockton South and Cllr Steve Matthews put forward a request for Stockton Council to consider a CPO on the Vane Arms pub in Long Newton to allow the community to purchase the pub.

The Planning Inspectorate has now overturned the Council’s refusal to convert the pub into homes, arguing that there were equivalent facilities in the village - the nearby Derry pub and that the Vane Arms was no longer financially viable. With the closure of The Derry pub, Long Newton is set to have no pubs left in the village.

Residents have set up the 'Long Newton Community Hub' and raised around £250,000 to save the Vane Arms, aiming to follow the Plunkett Foundation’s ‘More Than A Pub’ programme and bring it into community ownership.

Read more: Enquiries ongoing after serious Yarm crash leaves woman in hospital

Mr Vickers said: “I am disappointed that Stockton Council refuses to even consider the suggestion of a CPO on the Vane Arms. The passion and commitment shown by residents to their local has been truly impressive. To organise so well and raise such a staggering amount has been outstanding to watch. It is a shame that their hard work and dedication has not been reciprocated by the Council. It is saddening that Stockton Council seems unwilling to even try putting up a fight and entrust the community with the running of their local pub. Pubs are a huge part of our community, providing a safe place for responsible drinking as well as a place where communities can come together. For some in our communities pubs are vital in tackling isolation and loneliness. I will continue to work with Steve Matthews and local residents to do everything I can to support them.”

Councillor Bob Cook, Leader of the Council, said: “We have enormous sympathy with the residents and have nothing but admiration for the way in which they have rallied together. We’d dearly like to be able to support them but the expert advice is that we’d have very little chance of succeeding with an attempt to make a Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO). For any such attempt to be successful, it’d have to be confirmed by the Secretary of State via the national Planning Inspectorate as we expect that the owner would object to a CPO and that would result in a Public Inquiry. The problem is, the national Planning Inspectorate has already tested the same planning arguments that would have to be satisfied to meet the grounds for a CPO and rejected them. This was clear when, to our great despair, the inspectorate recently sided with the developer’s appeal and overturned our Planning Committee’s decision to reject their plans to convert the Vane Arms for residential use. I completely understand residents’ frustration but what should not be lost is that we wouldn’t even be in this position if the national Planning Inspectorate hadn’t overturned our local decision.”

Keep up to date with all the latest news on our website, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

You can also follow our dedicated Teesside Facebook page for all the latest in the area by clicking here.

For all the top news updates from right across the region straight to your inbox, sign up to our newsletter here.

Have you got a story for us? Contact our newsdesk on newsdesk@nne.co.uk or contact 01325 505054