A COMMUNITY group is celebrating after plans they feared could have stopped their village pub from reopening were thrown out.

Residents argued that proposals to build a house on The English Partridge pub land, in Bighton, near Alresford, would have killed off any hopes of reopening more-than-300-year-old watering hole, formetly known as the Four Horseshoes.

Applicant Ashley Levett, a former villager now living in Monaco, was seeking permission to build a home on the land, which along with the pub is currently listed as an asset of community value (ACV), after closing the pub more than year ago.

However, Winchester City Council planning committee heard that half of the households in the village had objected to the scheme.

Jonathon Booth, speaking on behalf of villagers, told councillors that a group of villagers had banded together to save the pub, submitting a bid of £500,000 despite it being valued at £400,000.

However, Mr Booth said that it had been rejected, claiming Mr Levett wouldn’t accept anything less than £700,000.

Alresford resident and city councillor Lisa Griffiths added that by building near the property, parking spaces would be lost, as well as some of the outdoor space which was a key feature of the pub, harming its viability.

Commenting on the scheme, which had been recommended for approval by a planning officer, Cllr Brian Laming said: “What is the point in having something be a community asset if we don’t back it up.”

Cllr Jane Rutter added: “I’m going to support the pub. I cannot agree that it doesn’t detract from the viability of this pub and we should support the community.”

Defending the plans, agent Mike Worthington said: “The proposal has taken measures to ensure it doesn’t jeopardise the pub.” He added that if approved, it would allow the pub to be managed by an owner-occupier.

Barring one abstention, the plans were unanimously rejected by the committee, which receive loud applause from members of the public in the room.

Many rural pubs in the Winchester area have closed in the last 20 years. The pace of closure has slowed since the 1990s.

l Permanent closures or conversions into restaurants of local pubs in the last 25 years include: Newport Inn, Braishfield; Black Horse and Old House at Home, Colden Common; Rack & Manger, Crawley; Andover Arms, King’s Somborne; Lunways Inn, near Micheldever; Shearer’s Arms, Owslebury; The Anchor Inn, Chequers Inn and Star Inn, all in Ropley; Saddlers and Bullington Cross, near Sutton Scotney; Dolphin Inn, Twyford; Woodman Inn, Upham; and Red Lion, West Meon.