LISS Parish Council has agreed to take the necessary steps to register the Temple Inn as an asset of community value with East Hampshire District Council.

The decision was taken at the parish council meeting on February 20, where the council also agreed to notify the owners of the Temple Inn of their intention to do so.

Lots of villagers attended the meeting to show their support for the Temple Inn.

Residents made their feelings known about the importance of the pub, and it was agreed that Liss Forest Residents’ Association would take the first steps in trying to save the Temple Inn.

The residents’ association then got people who want to help save the pub to sign up and pledge their support.

Once the pub is registered as an asset of community value the community will have six months to work up a plan to save the pub before it can be sold to a developer.

As previously reported, Fuller’s has put the pub up for sale with Savills.

Liss Forest Residents’ Association chairman Peter Coley said: “We’ve got nearly 20 people signed up with a lot of skills and experiences to help put a plan together for the building. It is a very enthusiastic group of highly motivated people.

“We’d like to see the pub serve the community in lots of different ways, although I think it is inevitable there will be some building at the back of the pub. I went to the parish council meeting thinking the pub was a dead duck, but I’m quite optimistic we can save it now.

“It is up to us to work on a business plan and present it to Fuller’s, and we hope to get support from the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA). As a first step we are meeting on Thursday and we will appoint a committee to get everything moving.”

Liss Parish Council chairman Keith Budden confirmed the council has started to take the necessary steps to register the pub as an asset of community value.

“We have set the wheels in motion,” said Cllr Budden.

“We have notified Fuller’s and Savills of our intentions.

“It was fantastic to see the support for the pub at the parish council meeting, and I was totally blown away to see the hall packed like that.

“The community value order gives us six months and I’m pleased Peter has organised this meeting so quickly.

“We can’t afford to sit around for five months and we need to come up with a solution which works best.

“I think development is inevitable, at least a house. I think that is a pill we have to swallow to save the pub.”