AN empty eyesore pub being returned to its former glory has been lit up for the first time in years.

The Red Lion in Witley Road, Holt Heath, near Worcester is due to reopen as a bar and Indian restaurant in the spring after it was acquired by new management.

A family from Birmingham has taken it over and is busy, with a team of tradesmen, transforming it outside and in.

Worcester News: BRIGHT: The Red Lion in Holt Heath no longer looks dark and forlorn as the outside lights were kicked on for the first time in three years BRIGHT: The Red Lion in Holt Heath no longer looks dark and forlorn as the outside lights were kicked on for the first time in three years (Image: Jas)

Lying in darkness for three years, it became a forlorn sight for drivers on the A443 between Holt Heath and Great Witley but no longer as the floodlights were put on for the first time since the doors closed.

The building has already received a fresh coat of paint and the flaking paint of old and logo are a distant memory. 

Worcester News: FLASHBACK: The Red Lion in Holt Heath no longer looks drab with flaking paint but the biggest changes are taking place inside, behind the scenes FLASHBACK: The Red Lion in Holt Heath no longer looks drab with flaking paint but the biggest changes are taking place inside, behind the scenes (Image: James Connell/Newsquest)

Jas, who has been working on refurbishing the pub with his son, Sat, said: "The response has been so great. Everyone was saying how wonderful it looks.

"It may still need a second coat of paint but, with those lights on, it just lights up that corner. The pub is finally lit up again after so many years. That whole corner of Holt Heath looks completely different now - and it will look even better when it's finished."

Work is already underway and the pub is expected to reopen in the early spring.

When finished, there will be a pub, Indian restaurant, grill bar, children-friendly beer garden, play area and the car park, which has been blocked off, will return to use.

The new owner said: "With the response we have had from the locals, they are even more excited than we are. It has been closed for almost three years. This pub was the heart of the community and I hope to make it that way again.

"Teams of tradesmen are working to bring it back to its original glory."

He also wished to thank the community for their 'encouragement and good wishes' on the Holt Millennium Green Trust Facebook page. 

"With the support of the locals I would like to bring this wonderful place back into a place of pride for the local community," he said.

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The Red Lion went under the hammer in July but did not fetch the minimum asking price, then £475,000 according to Cottons the auctioneers. 

Many residents recalled with fondness what they said was the heyday of the once 'thriving' pub under former landlord, Derek Hine.

The pub closed in November 2020. A planning application has been submitted by George Windsor for two homes at the back of the site although a decision on the proposal has yet to be reached by Malvern Hills District Council.

Previous plans to demolish the pub and replace it with six four bed houses were rejected by planners after the pub was deemed to be an important community asset.