The Kenmuir Arms
The story of how New Luce bought its village inn and brought it back to life, paid for largely by the community's own windfarm benefit.
From closed pub to community asset
The Kenmuir Arms is on Main Street, New Luce. When residents were asked how to use the village's underused buildings, they chose to buy it as a community asset. The Trust then spent four years taking it from a building in need of extensive renovation to the inn it is today.
- 2017
Underused buildings
The first Community Action Plan made better use of the village's buildings one of its six priorities.
- May 2018
Asking the village
With Community Enterprise, the Trust held a meeting and sent a survey to every household about the Memorial Hall, the church, the shop and the pub. The process ended in a community vote to buy the Kenmuir Arms.
- 2019
The community buys its inn
The Trust completed the purchase early in 2019 and announced it on 13 March. In July, residents toured the building and voted on what to open first: the pub came top.
- 2020
Plans and permissions
Planning permission was granted in May, the building was stripped back to its structural walls over the summer, and the building warrant was approved by October.
- May 2021
Work begins
Luce Bay Plant Hire started the main works, with Smith Designs Architects, McGowan Miller project managing, and Asher Associates. Rotten timbers, ceiling joists and resident bats all added to the job.
- December 2022
Finished
The restored building has a glass-fronted restaurant, a snug bar with a log burner, a commercial kitchen, three en-suite letting bedrooms, accommodation for the tenant, and outdoor space.
- February 2023
Open again
The Kenmuir Arms reopened, run by a tenant as an independent business. The Trust owns the building and charges an annual rent.
- June 2026
A new chapter
The previous lease ended, and the inn closed for maintenance to the building and garden while the Trust secures a new tenant.
Running the Kenmuir Arms
The Trust doesn't run the inn itself. It's leased to a tenant who runs it as their own business, chosen through a tendering process. In February 2026 the Trust advertised the tenancy through Graham & Sibbald, property consultants who specialise in hospitality.
Papers
The planning application and drawings are on the Dumfries and Galloway Council planning portal.
Get involved
Membership is free for everyone aged 18 or over who lives in the New Luce Community Council area. Members vote at the AGM and can stand as a director.