A COUNCIL is looking into a scheme that could prevent time being called on a famous East Hampshire pub.

The Pub With No Name could become an Asset of Community Value (ACV) if proposals by Froxfield Parish Council are realised.

The council has also begun preliminary investigations into getting the pub listed through English Heritage in a further bid to ward off potential developers.

The pub, officially called The White Horse, is undergoing renovation and has been closed for several weeks.

“We have new tenants on board and we plan to reopen in September,” said a spokesperson for owners Fullers.

But the silence has led to long-term questions about its future given its unique place in the landscape and folklore of East Hampshire.

Parish councils regularly get former pubs listed as ACVs to prevent them from being developed. It also gives them a fair chance to buy the building if it comes on the open market.

A prime example is the Fox and Hounds in Denmead, which was saved by locals from closure.