Flood-hit pub Royal Oak in Downton closed again as landlady and landlord leave for The Swan at Lyndhurst less than three months after taking over

A couple who took over the Royal Oak in Downton in December have had to leave it less than three months later due to flooding and a row over work to prevent damage.

The pub was badly hit by flooding in 2023 and 2024 and several times prior to that. Last year owners Stonegate Group installed flood defence gates in front of the pub in Christchurch Road but on 5th January the pub was hit again.

Former landlady Lisa Coleman Sainsbury said she and husband Lee Sainsbury had been “really excited” to take over the pub last year, adding: “We had been living away but we are New Forest people who had returned.

“We were given such a great welcome by locals. In fact, it was the best we had ever had in 31 years of being in the industry.

“It is such a great place, and in the short time we were there people said we had made it a really lovely pub.

“We opened at the beginning of December and were so enjoying it – and then another flood happened.”

The couple had worked hard on giving the Royal Oak a makeover to give it a stunning, country pub feel. But the devastating flood in January ruined everything.

Lisa said: “The water just poured in. It was heartbreaking.”

Stonegate’s surveyors say the flooding is being caused by a drain near the front door of the pub being overwhelmed when it rains heavily.

Lisa said Stonegate had offered to carry out exterior work to alleviate flooding.

This would have involved laying another pipe near the drain which would take heavy rainwater down to a pumping station hopefully solving the flooding problem.

But Lisa says Hampshire County Council refused to allow the company to do that. She said: “HCC says it owns part of the land the pipe would have run under, so they won’t allow Stonegate to lay it.

“But HCC haven’t offered to do anything themselves to prevent flooding in the area. It seems absolutely bonkers to us.

“Stonegate were willing to pay, and HCC only own a small part of the land, it is literally just where a corner of the pub is.

“Over £100,000 had been spent bringing the pub into re-use and we had lots of plans for it. But we just couldn’t take the risk of it being flooded again.”

The couple are now taking over another Stonegate pub, The Swan at Lyndhurst – a decision, Lisa said was “made with a very heavy heart”.

She said: “There is so much work that needs to be done at The Royal Oak to prevent further damage including ripping up all the floors and installing internal drains throughout and that could take six months.

“It is so silly when just a simple pipe outside would stop the floods. We felt we had no choice really and had to let our heads rule our hearts.

“But it has been a massive wrench to leave the Royal Oak. We met so many fabulous people who have been so supportive and so lovely.

A lot of them have said they will be coming to The Swan and it will be great to see them. We have big plans for the pub and will be the only one in the New Forest to stock Jeremy Clarkson’s Hawkstone beers.

“We hope to be open by around the second week in March and the pub will be a good old fashioned one with good food.”

Downton resident Julie Vidler said HCC “need to really do something to save this quintessential Forest pub”.

She said: “We have been here 14 years and in that time there have been 6-7 different tenants, nearly all leaving because of the flooding.

“Lisa and Lee were really lovely and had such plans to host good local community things. It so sad to see it closed yet again.”

A spokesperson for Hampshire County Council said: “We understand the impact that flooding can have on businesses and are sorry to learn that the flooding has influenced the landlord and landlady's decision to move.

“We advised the owners of the pub of our plans to undertake an investigation and works in July 2024, but have not heard from them since regarding any private proposed works they may wish to undertake.

“In the meantime, our team has been investigating the causes of the flooding and carrying out works on existing drainage to address the issue – this would negate the need for any significant private works proposed by Stonegate within the public highway. Such works are not generally advised as their maintenance and management can become complex and problematic, due to potential conflicts over responsibility and liability. Ensuring that drainage systems are properly managed and maintained is crucial for the safety and efficient working of the highway network.

“During our investigation and cleansing work, we established that the drainage system discharges into private ditches. We have been actively working with the private landowner to ensure these ditches are cleared which will help to reduce the likelihood of flooding in the vicinity. We are currently awaiting an update on this matter.”

A spokesperson for Stonegate said: “Stonegate Group have carried out extensive flood prevention works in the past couple of months while working with New Forest Highways and we hope to reopen the site as soon as possible with a date yet to be confirmed.”