A community pub has been given protection from developers after being designated a asset of community value.

It means if brewing giant Greene King wants to dispose of the Prince of Wales in Mountnessing they must give notice after which a community interest group has six weeks in which to ask to be treated as a potential bidder.

If it does so, the disposal cannot take place for six months to give a community group to come up with an alternative proposal although, at the end of the moratorium, it is entirely up to the owner whether a disposal goes through, to whom and for how much.

The application from Mountnessing Parish Council states The Prince of Wales public house lying in the centre of the village is its only remaining ‘proper’ pub.

After a protracted period of closure, The Prince of Wales reopened last month under the stewardship of David Boakye who also runs the Woolpack in Chelmsford.

The statement from the parish council added: “Since Christmas 2022 Greene King the owner have been playing games with it and neither the council or the residents want to see it go or become a Tesco.”

The application to Brentwood Borough Council which has designated the pub as a ACV adds loss of of the pub would result in the “collapse of the heart and social part of Mountnessing”.

It adds: “Residents and regulars don’t want to go to a restaurant and pay £7 a pint in the wrong atmosphere.”

Mountnessing Parish Council vice chairman Councillor Jon Cloke said: “Mountnesseing Parish Council led by me on this item decided that it should be protected and started a petition together an application to make the pub and asset for Community value.

“This resulted in a petition with over 250 signatures which considering the size of Mountnesssing is a considerable proportion of the populace.

“It also revealed an appetite within the village to publish to purchase the pub outright if required and refound it as a community pub and freehouse.

“The new landlord of the Prince of Wales – it spent a week being cleaned up and opened on Friday – is known to many members from previously being at the Robin and the Green Dragon and is in fully in support of this application.”

A spokesperson for Greene King said: “We are delighted that the Prince of Wales has reopened, in partnership with our long-standing tenant David Boakye who also runs the Woolpack in Chelmsford. David has experience and success in the pub industry specialising in serving quality real ale and great food, and we are really excited for the future of the pub in the local community under David’s stewardship.”