REFURBISHMENT work is about to start on a local pub which is set to re-open later this year.
The Junction Inn, based on Wath Road, Wombwell, shut in 2018 but brewing giant Heineken is investing in the venue with the refurbishment due to begin on July 21.
Heineken UK’s Star Pubs subsidiary is now set to reopen the site with the bar and restaurant hopefully ready to open in September.
With working from home more commonplace and people looking to save on travel, major refurbishments will concentrate on transforming tired pubs in suburban areas into premium locals.
Lawson Mountstevens, Star Pubs’ managing director, said: “People are looking for maximum value from visits to their local. They want great surroundings and food and drink as well as activities that give them an extra reason to go out, such as sports screenings and entertainment.
“Creating fantastic locals that can accommodate a range of occasions meets this need and helps pubs fulfil their role as vital third spaces where communities can come together.
“Pubs have proved their enduring appeal; after all the disruption of recent years, Star is on track to have the lowest number of closed pubs since 2019.
“It’s a tribute to the drive and entrepreneurship of licensees and the importance of continued investment. We’ve spent more than £200m upgrading and maintaining our pubs over the last five years, and we’ll continue to invest to keep them open and thriving. Time and again we see the value consumers place on having a good local and how important it is to communities.
“Well-invested pubs run by great licensees are here to stay, but like all locals, they need government support to reduce the enormous tax burden they shoulder.”
Heineken recently spent almost £400,000 to reopen The Ship in Worsbrough following a four-year closure with it opening to the public in February.
