A PLAN to demolish an empty village pub to make way for new homes has been turned down.

New proposals would have seen the vacant Red Lion pub in Holt Heath near Worcester, which has been closed for almost two years, torn down and replaced with six four-bed houses.

Planners at Malvern Hills District Council rejected the demolition plan saying the pub was an important community asset that needed protecting but did approve a separate plan that would see the pub renovated alongside new en-suite bedrooms.

In rejecting the demolition plan, the council said the owners should be marketing the building as a pub properly before it decides to make any drastic changes to the site.

The council’s planning officers said the negatives of the plan “significantly outweighed” the positives.

In a report outlining the decision, officers said: “There would be a demonstrable and adverse impact that would arise from the loss of the public house for which there has been no marketing exercise for the property submitted with the application.

“When all the planning matters are weighed, the negative impacts of the development significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits of providing six new homes.

“There would be limited economic benefit associated with construction jobs arising from the proposed development and longer-term some support for local services and facilities although the loss of the pub remains a critical and unjustified loss.

“Pubs offer a wider range of local interest and community cohesion opportunities and as such are locally valued.”

Holt Parish Council said it would like to see the Red Lion reopen but was not against new development on the site and it felt six homes was too many, adding that the application seemed “rushed.”

The refurbishment plans for the pub, off the village’s Witley Road, include eight refurbished bedrooms with ensuites and a new entrance.

A 34-space car park would also be built.

The pub closed in November 2020 with the departing landlords saying they were walking away from their dream after little over a year, having experienced ’12 months of hell.’