‘We won’t make money this year’ - Pub fears roadworks will ruin first summer

Pub operators Bailey Dellaway (right) and Dawn Payne (left) are one of the pubs showing England games for the World Cup 2026.

placeholder image — Pub operators Bailey Dellaway (right) and Dawn Payne (left) are one of the pubs showing England games for the World Cup 2026.

The operators of a North Devon pub that reopened just weeks ago after a full refurbishment warn that a major gas pipe upgrade starting in June could seriously harm their first summer in business, and leave elderly residents who do not drive unable to reach local pharmacies.

A pub that reopened just weeks ago after a full refurbishment is facing a major road closure that its operators warn could seriously harm its first summer in business.

The Old Barn Inn on Tews Lane, Bickington, near Barnstaple, reopened on February 27 under new operators Bailey Dellaway, 25, and Dawn Payne, 34, following an extensive refurbishment.

Wales and West Utilities is due to begin an 11-month £1.8 million gas pipe upgrade on June 15, bringing road closures to Bickington Road that the pair say will cut off a significant proportion of their passing and tourist trade throughout the summer and beyond.

“Worrying, to be quite honest,” said Mr Dellaway. “We’ve put a lot of investment into the property. We’ve literally turned the place upside down and refurbished it, just opened the kitchen last week. It’s going fantastic, we’re really, really pleased with how everything is going. Obviously, with these works due to commence, it’s an 11-month programme that’s happening on our doorstep, and it’s just very, very worrying as to what direction everything’s going to go in.”

Mr Dellaway says the closure at the junction near the speed camera on the Bickington approach will prevent traffic from the Fremington direction, serving Appledore, Instow and surrounding areas, from reaching the pub during the key summer trading period.

“We're going to lose our whole holiday trade,” he said. "Westward Ho!, Appledore, Instow, Fremington, all of the main destinations in the area aren't going to be able to reach us. The only way they'll be able to get to us is to go all the way along the Atlantic Highway, round through Roundswell, back up the hill. It's putting a huge diversion in place for them, and chances are they aren't going to make that journey.”

Wales and West Utilities has told the pub it will erect two directional signs, one at each end of the affected stretch, stating “Business as usual, The Old Barn.”

Mr Dellaway acknowledged the gesture but said he doubted it would be enough to bring customers on a 15 to 20-mile diversion.

It is understood that residents of Bickington, Fremington, Yelland and Instow will be directed along a diversion via the Torridge Bridge at Bideford and then along the A39 into Barnstaple.

The 21 and 21A bus services are expected to shuttle residents from the affected area along the A39, while passengers from the greater Bideford area face the prospect of sitting in daily congestion on the route towards Barnstaple, and back again.

Because The Old Barn Inn has been trading for less than 12 months, Mr Dellaway says the business does not meet the threshold required to claim financial support or loss-of-earnings compensation from the utility company, which requires a full year of trading accounts.

“We’ve had no support from the utilities company because we haven’t been open 12 months, so we haven’t got 12 months of accounts to go by, so they won’t help us,” he said. “We've come in here and put our blood, sweat and tears into this place. I'll be honest, we know we're not going to make money this year. We'll be lucky if we can break even.”

The news comes as the pub’s operators say business since reopening has exceeded expectations.

Mrs Payne, who worked at The Old Barn Inn under two previous operators over five years, said trade is the busiest she has seen it.

“This place, with the refurb and with the local support, it’s been busier than it’s ever been,” she said. “The food is absolutely fantastic. We’re getting raving five-star reviews on Google. It's been a big change for the community, it was what was needed.”

The pub is operated under a tenancy with the Stonegate Group.

A formal five-year deal was signed this week, and to mark the occasion, the team is holding a family fun day at the venue this Saturday, May 16, a celebration of local support since opening and a rallying call ahead of the difficult months to come.

The two operators describe themselves as long-standing best friends whose professional backgrounds complement each other.

Mrs Payne brings more than a decade of hospitality experience, while Mr Dellaway’s family runs businesses in the lift industry with offices in Barnstaple, Exeter, Maidstone and central London.

Beyond the impact on trade, Mr Dellaway raised concerns about the effect on elderly residents who do not drive in Bickington and Fremington who rely on regular bus journeys into Barnstaple to collect prescriptions.

He said the closure would force some to take a shuttle bus to Bideford, connect to a service to Barnstaple, then make the same return journey, a trip he said many simply would not be able to manage.

“They aren’t going to be able to do that for 11 months. It’s going to cause them trauma,” he said.

In response, Mr Dellaway and Mrs Payne have launched a Facebook community page, Bickington and Fremington Support Local, to connect residents and local businesses during the disruption.

Around a dozen businesses in the area are expected to be affected, including a farm shop, a Chinese takeaway and a corner shop.

The page will also co-ordinate volunteers to collect shopping and medication for residents unable to travel.

“We can’t just be running the pub, we need to try and keep this community together,” Mr Dellaway said. “We’re not just thinking about ourselves.”

Roxanne Whittaker, programme controller at Wales and West Utilities, said the project was essential to the long-term safety of local gas supplies.

“We will soon start work in the Bickington Road area of Barnstaple to upgrade the gas network. The project begins on June 15 and is vital to ensuring gas continues to flow safely and reliably to homes and businesses across the area,” she said.

Ms Whittaker said the company had worked closely with Devon County Council on traffic management plans and added: “We know working on roads like these is not ideal, and we're sorry for any disruption that it might cause, our engineers will be working as quickly and as safely as possible to get the job done. This work really is essential to keep the gas flowing safely and to make sure the gas network is fit for the future.”