A PUB earmarked to be transformed into an American-style diner has been put up for sale.

Claire and Jonathan Hilsdon planned to turn the Volunteer pub in Station Road, Grove, into a diner called Chariots and Cherry Pie but the company went into liquidation before it could open.

Mr and Mrs Hilsdon bought the pub for £330,000 last year and planned to spend £1m on a 100-cover diner, car wash and 11-bedroom motel, employing 35 staff.

But last month they announced they were liquidating their business and the pub has now been put up for sale.

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Licensed property agents Sidney Phillips are marketing the pub and a member of staff at the chartered surveyor said the premises were recently put on the market.

Grove and Wantage county councillor Zoe Patrick said she hoped a buyer would be found.

She added: “I noticed last week that a new ‘for sale’ sign had gone up.

“The pub has been closed for at least a couple of years and I think people in Grove would like to see it open again.

“There used to be a minibus taking people from the village there for darts matches – it’s an extra venue for the community.”

Offers for the freehold, which has no publicised guide price, are now being invited for the pub.

According to an online advertisement, the pub is a freehouse with open-plan bar areas and four-bedroom accommodation.

Mr and Mrs Hilsdon opened their first Chariots and Cherry Pie restaurant on the A420 near Buckland in June.

Last month they appointed London chartered accountancy firm SPW to help liquidate the business assets and pay off its debts.

The couple’s plan to open the diner in Grove came up against its first problem in December last year when Network Rail applied to close the A338 next to the Grove pub for up to six months to rebuild a rail bridge.

Permission for that closure was refused by Oxfordshire County Council and then in the middle of transforming the Grove pub, Mrs Hilsdon said they realised they would have to add a rear exit for cars, which would need additional work.

The Hilsdons admitted in September they had been unable to pay more than 20 staff at the Buckland restaurant while they waited for a £49,000 tax rebate.

Insolvency administrator Craig Humphrey said the pub was never an asset of the Chariots and Cherry Pie company.

Mr and Mrs Hilsdon were unavailable for comment.

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