A POPULAR country pub is set to be taken over by its brewer and reverted to a managed house.

The Crown Inn at Hallow, near Worcester, is currently run by Will and Sacha Donaldson and will continue to operate until February 15, 2021.

The pub’s landlord, Greene King, has decided not to renew the couple’s lease as the brewer plans to revert the pub back to a managed house under the Chef and Brewer brand.

Sacha said: “Unfortunately, after 10 years of trading The Crown Inn our landlord (Greene King) have decided to not renew our lease.

“We have tried to fight this decision with our solicitors but there is nothing we can do as the landlord has the right to choose not to renew a lease.”

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In 2017 the pub, in Main Road, undergone a refurbishment, rebrand and recruited a new head chef which was designed to reinforce the restaurant’s commitment to seasonal, and locally sourced fare.

A Greene King spokesman said: “We’d like to thank Sacha and Will for all their work at The Crown over the years and we’ve been in regular communication with them as their lease comes to an end next year.

“We are hoping to invest in The Crown to ensure it is in the best position possible to thrive for many years to come and as part of this will operate the pub ourselves, ensuring it continues as a great pub for the Hallow community.”

Out of 2,700 Greene King pubs, around 1,000 are leased to independent operators such as Will and Sacha at The Crown Inn, and the brewer operates the remaining 1,700.

Each year a number of pubs transfer between the managed and tenanted estates and vice versa, with the aim of ensuring each pub continues to provide the right community offer.

Sacha and Will’s lease expires next year, and Greene King has taken the decision not to renew the lease but to invest in the pub and run it.