A treasured community café in a corner of the Cotswolds made famous by the BBC comedy hit 'This Country' looks set to return after closure in the wake of the Pandemic.

The Black Cat Cafe, on Northleach's famous Market Square, opened in 2017 after the closure of the former Old Woolhouse Restaurant and the new venture was run by the Northleach Church and Town Enterprise Company. 

But with a focus on being a youth-orientated community centre, and amid the challenges of the Pandemic, the business hit the financial buffers and finally closed in September 2022.

Within a matter of weeks though, a campaign was launched by Northleach Town Council to save the café and, after consulting the public, the three-storey, Grade II-listed building was acquired as a community asset with a plan from new owners, J W Sly Northleach Charitable Trust, to modify both the café and its residential accommodation for a relaunch.

The Trust asked Cotswold District Council for permission for a newly configured café with self-contained accommodation over, with specific details including a new access to the first floor via the creation of a stairway, while a pitched roof would be added to an existing flat roofed section of the building. These plans have now been approved.

A submission to CDC explained that the original café ownership "found it financially unsustainable" to run the business and that the transfer to the J W Sly Trust preserved the community interest, given the trust's status as an asset-locked body.

The document added: "It is keen to restore the building to a sustainable mixed use, and secure its long‐ term future."

Neighbouring businesses have welcomed the go-ahead for the work.

Dale Stimpson, at the popular Wheatsheaf Inn Hotel, close to the Market Place, told Punchline-Gloucester.com that the previous popularity of the café had played a part in drawing people to the town.

Mr Stimpson said: "With the popularity of This Country, we saw a real surge of people coming to stay who were keen to explore the backdrop to the comedy series. But I think what we are seeing in Northleach more now is that the impact of the show has faded, but people are still coming to see this wonderful corner of the Cotswolds. It's now all about getting away from city life."

Additional changes now backed by planners include replacing existing "unsympathetic ground-floor doors and windows" which, the council said, which is "a welcome alteration".

● In 2020, a library outreach initiative was set up at the café, while later that year, in support of Marcus Rashford's high-profile campaign for free school meals for eligible children outside term times, the cafe offered a free sandwich or cake with a drink for under 16s