A RESIDENTS’ group aimed at saving a former hotel for community use, rather than housing has just weeks to come up with a plan to save it.

The Queens Hotel off High Street in Selborne closed in January 2016.

Since then the owner, Derek Warwick Developments, of Winchester, has repeatedly tried to get planning permission to convert the building into homes.

The latest bid in January this year failed to meet the approval of planners then on February 1 the building was registered with East Hampshire District Council (EHDC) as an Asset of Community Value (ACV) by Selborne Parish Council.

The ACV registration came after the parish council organised a residents’ questionanaire on the subject, and a two-thirds majority of those who responded agreed they wanted the building to remain a pub.

This means if it is put up for sale community groups must be given time to make an offer to buy it. They have six months to agree the details with the seller.

If that doesn’t happen then the 16th century building could be sold on the open market.

Last month, an 87-strong Community Interest Group, Save the Queens, was launched with a view to saving it.

In a statement, the group said it believed it was important to re-open the pub for the village, and for the 30,000 visitors a year Selborne attracts.

But the owner now wants to sell it, according to EHDC, meaning the campaigners have until June 19 to come up with a plan to save the hotel.

Terry Cartwright, of the Save the Queens group, said: “Most residents do not want to lose this important social centre.

“The Queens has a remarkable history – there has been a hostelry on the site since the time of Gilbert White, 1720 to 1793, if not before.

“Being a large pub, it has been central to the community over the years.

“It provides a welcoming and affordable venue for entertainment and family gatherings such as weddings and parties that other venues in Selborne can’t match.

“It seems inconceivable that it could be lost, when Selborne is trumpeted as a key historic village in the South Downs National Park.”

The first mention of the hotel was in a 1577 list of drinking places or “tipplers,” when it was known as The Goat and Compasses. The first recorded landlord was John Skinner in 1618.

Another landlord was Robert Holdaway who, in 1834, was one of the leaders of the famous Workhouse Riots in the village. After his arrest and trial, he was transported to Australia.

Three years later, the hotel was re-named The Queen’s Inn, later changed to the Queen’s Hotel, in honour of Queen Victoria’s accession to the throne.