The Moody Cow at Upton Bishop is now protected as an asset of community value until 2031. It is the fourth Herefordshire pub listed this year, out of 19 assets.
The Moody Cow at Upton Bishop has been listed as an asset of community value. Herefordshire Council added the pub to its list on 13 October, and the listing runs until 12 October 2031.
Upton Bishop is about three miles north-east of Ross-on-Wye. The pub stands at Crow Hill, postcode HR9 7TT.
The listing is recorded in the council’s List of Assets of Community Value, dated 20 October 2026. The Moody Cow is the newest of 19 places on it.
What the listing does
A listing does not stop a pub being sold, and it does not keep it open. What it does is give the community a chance to bid.
The rules are set out in the government’s Community Right to Bid advice note. If the owner decides to sell, they must tell the council first. That starts a timetable:
- six weeks in which a parish council, charity or other community group can ask to be treated as a bidder
- six months in total, if one does, during which the owner cannot exchange contracts with anyone except a community group
- after that, the owner can sell to whoever they choose
The owner can sell to a community group at any point in that window. The price is not fixed by the council.
Four pubs listed in 2026
The Moody Cow is the fourth Herefordshire pub listed this year. The council’s list shows:
| Pub | Place | Listed | Listing ends |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Stockton Cross Inn | Kimbolton | 5 March 2026 | 4 March 2031 |
| The Roebuck Inn | Brimfield | 19 March 2026 | 18 March 2031 |
| The Wye Knot Inn | Symonds Yat West | 14 April 2026 | 13 April 2031 |
| The Moody Cow | Upton Bishop | 13 October 2026 | 12 October 2031 |
Of the 19 assets on the list, 16 are pubs. The other three are Bredenbury Village Hall, part of the Edgar Street athletic ground in Hereford, and the Vinnalls car park and picnic area in Mortimer Forest.
Ross-on-Wye has the most. Five of its pubs are listed: the Crown and Sceptre, the Eagle Inn, the Kings Arms, the Man of Ross and the Prince of Wales.
One listing ends this month
A listing lasts five years. The Weston Cross Inn at Weston-under-Penyard, about two miles east of Ross, was listed on 1 December 2021. Its listing ends on 30 November 2026.
The council’s list records one owner’s notice to sell this year. The owner of The Farmers Arms at Wellington Heath, near Ledbury, told the council on 26 February 2026 that they intended to dispose of the pub. The council’s notice of intended disposal set the six-week deadline for community bids at 9 April. The list does not say what has happened since.
Not every nomination succeeds
The council also publishes the nominations it turned down. The most recent in the Hereford area was the Redhill Green play area, on land off Ross Road, declined on 21 May 2026.
The council said the site was closed to the public and there was not enough evidence of past use, so it did not meet the legal definition of land of community value. Most of the pubs on the declined list were turned down for a similar reason: they had closed, so had no current use that served the community.
What it means for you
- If your local pub, hall or green space matters to the village, a parish council or community group can nominate it. The council’s Community Right to Bid page has the list and the public notices.
- A listed pub keeps trading as normal. Nothing changes for customers unless the owner decides to sell.
- If a listed place in your area goes up for sale, the council publishes a notice on the same page. A community group then has six weeks to say it wants to bid.
- The Weston Cross Inn’s protection lapses on 30 November unless the council lists it again.
Have your say