Community meeting on the future of The Fox

On Thursday 2 July, I held a community meeting in Oakley to discuss the future of The Fox Inn. The meeting followed questions on social media about the pub being empty for some time, concrete blocks appearing around the car park, and the property being listed for sale.

The purpose was to share what is known about the current position and discuss the range of options available – not to campaign for any particular direction. Doing nothing remains one of those options.

Current position

The Fox is owned by Fuller’s. I contacted them in January to ask about the future of the empty property but did not receive a reply. When the concrete blocks were placed, I contacted Fuller’s CEO for an update. The next day, Fuller’s confirmed the property had been placed on the market, though they would continue to assess all options.

I shared some of the ideas raised on social media following the listing, and told them about the meeting. I also asked Fuller’s about their position on a potential community purchase and whether they would be willing to pause the sale process if the community decided to pursue that route.

Fuller’s advised that they are familiar with Plunkett UK and have sold pubs to community groups with Plunkett involvement in the past. They said Plunkett is usually involved where there is a risk of the pub permanently closing, and they did not think that was the case here. At this stage, they would not want to withdraw the property from the market.

What residents discussed

Residents were asked what The Fox means to the community. Views were mixed. Some questioned the need to support The Fox given the presence of other pubs in the area and this pub’s history. Others reflected positively on earlier periods of its history. Some noted that the pubs had operated alongside one another successfully before and could again.

The conversation then moved to what a successful future might look like. Ideas included retaining its usual use as a pub, greater community use as a hub, space for community hire, daytime activities, live music, sports, group office space, and a place for people to gather after events at Newfound. Possible future improvements to the site to support additional community businesses were also discussed.

The community ownership model was also explained at the meeting, based on Plunkett guidance. Under this model, the pub would be owned and run democratically, with community shares on a one member, one vote basis and an asset lock to protect the building for community use. Although the business would be run not for profit for community benefit, it would still need to operate as a successful commercial business.

Funding options – including loans, grants, community shares, and borrowing through the Public Works Loan Board via the Parish Council – were noted as matters for a future steering group to investigate as part of any feasibility work.

No single option was endorsed at the meeting.

Next steps

Registering The Fox as an asset of community value (ACV) was identified as an immediate next step. Twenty-one participants at the meeting gave their names to support the ACV nomination to be submitted to Basingstoke & Deane Borough Council.

There was also a request to share more information with the wider community to find out who would be interested in getting involved in a project based on the Plunkett guidance. The next stage would be for residents to form a steering group and take the work forward, if they choose to.

If you would like to find out more or share your views, please get in touch.

You can also read the meeting summary (PDF).