Closed village pub could become home, bar and guest rooms

The Bell Inn in Lower Heyford, just a short walk from the Oxford Canal, closed last year after the owner of the business died.

Now Lower Heyford parish councillor Mark Potton is asking villagers to share their views on preliminary redevelopment plans, following a meeting with councillors and residents last month.

The council is also gathering support for an application to list the Bell Inn as an Asset of Community Value.

Taking to Facebook, he said: “We are now in a position to share the proposal with the village and get your feedback so we can share this with the developer and advocate on your behalf.”

Under the scheme, the two‑storey section of the former pub would be separated from the remainder of the building and converted into a four‑bedroom private terraced family home.

The paved patio behind this part of the building would become a private courtyard garden for the new house and would no longer form part of the pub.

The remaining pub would keep a smaller bar in its current position, with a new internal staircase leading to upstairs storage and a staff room.

The main entrance would switch to the existing doorway at the Freehold Street end, creating a small additional seating area.

A new glazed conservatory‑style link would be built between the bar and the barn, enclosing the current smokers’ porch, rear entrance, ramp, bin area and toilets, and creating a fresh roadside entrance.

The barn itself would be converted into a flexible restaurant space, able to host dining, private events and activities such as Pilates, with large glazed doors opening onto the garden.

Part of the barn, together with the new link and existing toilet area, would be reconfigured for a new kitchen and customer toilets.

The pub garden would begin at the rear of the barn and run about halfway down the existing lawn, with a possible small outbuilding for garden toilets and a seasonal outdoor bar.

At the far end of the plot, a single‑storey, flat‑roofed block would house five en‑suite guest rooms, envisaged as short‑term lets such as Airbnb, each with its own seating area.

There would be no dedicated parking, so guests would need to use the roadside or Market Square, with a separate access in the boundary wall allowing them to come and go without passing through the pub.

However, Mr Potton stressed that no planning application has yet been submitted, saying: “Outcomes could include the pub remaining shut, being developed as per this preliminary proposal, a different development proposal, or being sold.”