The current owners bought the pub in 2011 from Enterprise Inns after mixed commercial success in recent years. Unfortunately the owners felt they were unable to run it on a commercial basis, so they closed it in January 2013 not intending that it should re-open as a pub. After discussions between the community and the owners, a compromise solution was reached whereby the pub was reduced in size by the left side of the building closed off by temporary partitioning and the garden fenced off.
The pub was then re-opened in April 2013 with Pat Hercus (previously landlady of the Woolpack) as tenant and when she retired, Penny Warman took over the tenancy. Throughout both their tenancies the Angel was commercially successful.
Unfortunately, when the lease was due for renewal, no agreement could be reached between Penny and the owners so, in April 2019, Penny left. The pub was closed, no replacement tenants were engaged and it has not reopened since.
During this time, several planning applications were submitted by the owners to make the temporary alterations in layout permanent, and turning the left side of the building, including the garden, residential. These applications were opposed by the public and the Parish Council and being counter to a number of government and local policies, was refused by the District Council. The owners appealed the decisions twice and at the second time of asking in June 2016, the Planning Inspectorate in Bristol overrode the Council and granted planning permission.
In April 2017, which was after planning permission had been granted but before the building works for the residential conversion had begun, the owners indicated to Mid Suffolk District Council that they intended to sell the property. Despite this, agents were never appointed and with no particulars or asking price being received by the Save the Angel Community group, it was unclear whether the sale was intended to be just the right side or the whole of the building. No offer to purchase could therefore be made.
After the left side had been converted to a house in 2018, the owners put the right side of the pub up for sale, initially at £385,000, describing it as “this exceptionally popular and busy pub has a loyal and regular local customer base as well as others from further afield” also suggesting that the pub “currently produces a good rental return on capital, circa 10%, but equally offers a chance for owner occupation returning a 20% yield on capital.” There was at least one offer to purchase but this did not proceed to completion. An independent report by Fleurets valued the Angel at £270,000 and Save the Angel Group made an offer at that price. Despite negotiations bringing down the asking price to £305,000, agreement was not reached and the owners took the building off the market.
In December 2020 the owners submitted planning applications to convert the remaining right side of the Angel Inn into a 4-bedroom house with 1 room designated for commercial use. As with previous planning applications, the plans were opposed by the public and the Parish Council and was refused by Mid Suffolk Council. The owners unsuccessfully appealed the decision, with the Planning Inspectorate in Bristol stating that “the benefits of the proposal are insufficient to outweigh the totality of harm”. That decision was made on 11 February 2022.
Since April 2019 the pub has remained closed and unoccupied and from February 2022 the owners had not made any apparent efforts to either sell, re-open or submit further planning applications until 4 October 2022, when MSDC received notice that the owners wished to dispose of the property. Since the Angel had become an ACV (Asset of Community Value) on 16 February 2021, the community were given 6 weeks in which to register an intention to bid, resulting in a further 4 ½ month moratorium before the pub could be sold on the open market. The pub was then advertised with a sale price of £270,000 so the Save the Angel group approached the owners, via their agents, with a view to making an offer to purchase. They were allowed a 20 minute viewing but were refused permission for either a building or commercial survey to take place unless it could be shown that they had already raised sufficient capital to purchase. This hampered their ability to accurately calculate the total cost of not just buying but also undertaking necessary building work to enable the building to be re-opened as a pub.
During the time the property was up for sale, Save the Angel carried out a survey to determine the community interest in purchasing the building and re-opening it. There was overwhelming interest to do so. Consequently a Community Benefit Society was formed, which was registered with the Financial Control Authority as Debenham Angel Community Limited (DACL) on 15 May 2023. Despite these actions showing obvious intent to make a serious offer for the pub, it was taken off the market on 26 May 2023 and has not been offered for sale since.
On 20th March the owners of the Angel submitted a further Change of Use application to MSDC to change the Angel Inn to a residence. Despite MSDC planning committee having not yet made a decision, in June, the owners made an appeal and that appeal is currently with the Planning Inspectorate.