New twist in campaign to save last pub in village

A PUB which was saved by its village after a long planning dispute last year could now be turned into a shop months after the saga looked like it had come to an end.

- JONATHON HILL

Villagers in Llanharry, Rhondda Cynon Taf, had campaigned for months to save their last pub - the Fox and Hounds - from being turned into accommodation by landlords Drew and Hayley Donaldson, who closed the pub at Christmas in 2023.

It came to a head in October at a heated planning meeting where - in an impassioned speech to planners and campaigners - Mr Donaldson predicted the pub wouldn’t reopen and said it wasn’t viable as a business.

He blamed villagers for not supporting the pub as well as the cost-of-living crisis.

Of his previous application, Mr Donaldson said: “The application will not cause the loss of the pub. The loss has already happened.