PLANS to demolish a former pub between Thorverton and Silverton and build four houses in its place have been denied.

Keith Hoskins secured planning permission last year to convert The Ruffwell Inn into four three-bedroom homes but decided to ask Mid Devon District Council if he could knock it down and build four four-bedroom homes instead.

The council has rejected his demolition hopes on the basis that “the proposed site layout fails to utilise the available site more effectively and therefore does not make efficient and effective use of the site, having regard to the characteristics of the site”.

It added that “insufficient information has been provided to characterise the confirmed bat roost and enable the Local Planning Authority to assess the impacts to protected species and biodiversity”, and therefore “it cannot be concluded that the impacts of the development in respect of protected species and biodiversity would be acceptable”.

The new homes that would have been built after the demolition would have had painted render walls, slate roofs, solar panels, and UPVC windows, doors and gutters.

Each home would have had a garden, parking space for one car and an electric vehicle charging port. The site would still have been accessed from the A396.

Planning documents had argued the demolition would not “harm the privacy or amenity of occupiers of another dwelling and services of the site” or impact the road network, and that the designs were “visually attractive sitting well within the wider surroundings”.

Silverton Parish Council objected to the plans on the grounds that they did not comply with the Silverton Parish Neighbourhood Plan in relation to net zero, vehicle charging and parking (the plans were later updated to include EV charging and solar panels).

Four people wrote to Mid Devon District Council against the proposals, while another stayed neutral.

Nobody wrote to Mid Devon District Council in support of, or in opposition to, the previous plans. Silverton Parish Council supported the conversion of the pub.

Mid Devon District Council said it had been “suitably demonstrated” The Ruffwell Inn, which closed in 2020, was no longer economically viable when it gave the green light to convert it.

Mr Hoskins has three years from the date the conversion was approved to begin the development.

You can see the rejected application for demolition on the council’s website under reference 26/00076/FULL.

Find out about planning applications that affect you by visiting the Public Notice Portal.

You can see the approved application for conversion on the council’s website under reference 24/01628/FULL.