Midmar community's 'Right to Buy' was awarded under the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 after concerns were raised about the loss of their valuable rural amenity - the Midmar Inn. They hope to buy the pub and run it as a community amenity, using local products and employing local people.

Earlier this year, owners of the Midmar Inn, David Cooper and Debi Begg, submitted plans to Aberdeenshire Council to change the use of the pub - classed as part public, part private residence - to residential and to build an extension.

The Piper exclusively revealed in October how the pub (pictured) had mysteriously closed its doors without warning or explanation by the owners, who went on holiday, leaving regulars confused and angry.

The Friends of Midmar Inn action group was formed to represent the views of the community and customers of the inn whilst its future was decided. They launched the Save the Midmar Inn website, to allow people to make comments on the closure and leave feedback.

The secretary of the Friends of Midmar Inn Community Company, Margot Kennedy, said this week: "This relatively new piece of legislation is usually associated with crofters and tenant farmers having the right to buy the land they farm, but the act also enables communities in certain areas to register the right to buy land and buildings for the benefit of the community.

"Should the inn be put on the market, the community body now have first refusal to buy it and will be given six months to do so. Every five years we'll say that we do not wish to let it lapse.

"Completing the application was an expensive and arduous process - we had to raise £800 and demonstrate that our ideas for the future of the inn were compatible with furthering sustainable development, would increase the social and economic advantage to the community and that we had the support of the community to do so.

"We achieved this through submitting an exciting proposal to develop a community amenity which, where possible, would use local products and provide local employment during the development and ongoing operation".

Mrs Kennedy said theirs was the second such application to have been successful, the other being The Crook Inn - the oldest licensed coaching inn in Scotland - in Tweedsmuir a few weeks previous.

Mrs Kennedy said that in reaching this decision, Scottish Ministers had noted that: "Re-instating the Inn will serve the public interest by allowing the development of exciting and interesting community initiatives aimed at halting the decline of this vibrant rural community.

"Re-establishing the Inn will improve the prospects for employment and for other businesses. Engaging local craftsmen to refurbish the premises will help in reversing the economic decline currently being experienced by this community and help generate employment in an area with few options to work locally.

"Profits from the Inn will be used to develop the business, extend its range of functions available for use by the community and support local group and projects, thus ensuring the Inn's long term future as a valuable community resource.

"In a dispersed community such as Midmar, with a lack of communal facilities, a central meeting place is extremely important".

Earlier this year, Mr Cooper said of his business: "This pub is not a charity. I'm not going to burst my hump working all over the world so a few of the locals can visit once a week and drink subsidised beer. Some of our best customers were very regular but far from being locals".

Mr Cooper was unavailable for comment when contacted by the Piper this week.