Village Pub to be auctioned
After battling for over 3 years, the Cold Ashby Community Pub Group and villagers are delighted that their only pub is finally being sold at auction and are hopeful that it will return to being the social hub of Cold Ashby.
The Black Horse in Cold Ashby closed due to the Covid 19 pandemic back in 2020. The owners at that time decided on a change of lifestyle and sold the pub in mid-2021 to a Northampton businessman. He initially promised to renovate and reopen the pub by Christmas of 2022 . Sadly, the community soon realised he was only interested in using it as his private residence, refusing to reopen it and was looking to convert it to another use.
Fortunately, a group of villagers had the pub listed as an Asset of Community Value (ACV) in 2021 with West Northants Council (WNC). Subsequently, his unwanted Planning Applications for a ‘Change of Use’ were all refused.
In February this year, the owner hastily vacated the pub after a breach of planning control was determined by WNC.
The pub is being sold at auction by Savills of London on 22nd July 2025 in an online and telephone auction. Full details can be found by searching online for Savills Property Auctions. It has a guide price of £250,000 which indicates that the reserve is likely to be 10% above or below that figure.
The downstairs pub area is in need of some TLC and requires the replacement of almost all fixtures and fittings that make it a pub. It’s described as a shell ready to be fitted out. The upstairs licensee’s apartment has had considerable works carried out but is ready to move into once the pub is up and running.
WNC Planning Department have determined that the pub can only be lived in when it has been reopened, therefore any prospective purchaser must be fully committed to reopening it as a pub.
The Cold Ashby Community Pub Group have worked tirelessly to retain and protect The Black Horse as Public House. They are willing to work alongside a buyer prepared to invest in and restore our village pub.
Editor’s note: The current owner of The Black Horse has issued the following response. Paul Kuznecovs said he strongly denies that there were any planning breaches. He said he understood the sentiments and emotions of some residents of Cold Ashby who are passionate about the closure of the pub but Mr Kuznecovs said he had concluded that the pub was unviable due to its location, lack of parking spaces and kitchen facilities, traffic concerns and low footfall. He said that other uses of the pub could be considered to rejuvenate The Black Horse and that various options had been tried. He said his hand “was still extended with an olive branch” to CACPG to reopen The Black Horse as a pub, but it would need sufficient funds to acquire and run the property. He added: “We believe that the property can be rejuvenated as something aligned with ACV rules namely – community shop, post office, nursery etc … alternatively it could, while not should, become a residential.”