No buyers for village pub as family home bid emerges
A Borders village pub restaurant put up for sale is poised for conversion into a family home after no buyers came forward.
The Smiddy in Ashkirk – between Hawick and Selkirk – was placed on the market along with the attached family home in 2023 due to the downturn in the sector and the owners aiming to retire.
The price was dropped from £549,950 to £500,000 but that produced only “limited interest” and no viewings at all.
Now plans have been lodged with Scottish Borders Council to convert the restaurant and pub part of the property into a two-bedroom home.
The majority of the property takes the form of the original village Smiddy with an extension understood to have been formed in 1991 to allow the change of use to a public house.
The current property has been run as a going concern since by the current owners since 2005.
A report with the application, from agents Stuart Davidson architecture, states: “Due to the recent downturn in the hospitality sector and our client aim to retire from the trade this resulted in the property being listed for sale in late 2023 being on the open market since this time.
“The property along with the adjoining dwelling house, also under our clients ownership, have been listed via specialist sales’ agents since 2023.
“In an attempt to stimulate interest a sizeable price reduction was made in late 2024, there has been limited interest since listing with no viewings carried out on the property.
“It is clear that our clients have actively attempted at all avenues for the property to be sold as a going concern, unfortunately there is no appetite for purchase.”