The Winning Horse
From the CVA website
Word is getting around of an exciting new community project to purchase the Winning Horse pub and transform it into a thriving community venue to revitalise the Coverts Road area of Claygate.
The idea to use the derelict building to benefit the local community came from the Claygate: The Way Forward’s working groups. A separate group has now been formed to develop the proposal to purchase the building for the community.
The project involves an application to the Government’s Community Ownership Fund for the a grant towards the purchase price and refurbishment costs. Match-funding of a further £300,000 will need to be raised locally to secure the funding.
The timescale is tight as it has just been announced that, because of the General Election, the final round of the Community Ownership Fund has been brought forward from 2025 to June 2024!
So far the group has:
- Joined the Plunkett Foundation to get advice and support for the community purchase
- Set up the Claygate Community Benefit Society and registered it with the FCA.
- Secured £2,000 seed funding from Claygate Parish Council for building valuation and survey costs
- Secured a further £50,000 Community Infrastructure Levy grant from Claygate Parish Council subject to securing the Community Ownership grant.
- Produced a draft Business Plan detailing the services and facilities the venue could offer.
The next step is to demonstrate there is support from the community for the project.
- PARISH COUNCIL ACHIEVEMENT 23RD MAY 2024: "Approved £2k seed funding grant—50% matched by the Claygate Community Benefit Society Ltd (CCBS)—towards valuation and survey costs of The Winning Horse Project."
- PARISH COUNCIL ACHIEVEMENT 23RD MAY 2024: "Approved £50,000 CIL grant to The Winning Horse Project, contingent on a grant of £890,000 from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities."
