A BID to convert an award-winning community pub into a five-bedroomed luxury home has been refused permission by planners.

The owner of The Smiths Arms in Castle Dene, near Chester-le-Street applied to Durham County Council for permission to convert it into a residential dwelling.

The pub, which is thought to be at least 160 years old, secured Camra Durham’s Country Pub of the Year title in 2017 and has regularly featured in the national Good Beer Guide.

But the Northern Echo understands it failed to sell when it was put on the market during 2020, prompting its owner to apply for a change of use.

More than 100 objections to the plans were submitted and locals rallied together in an effort to save the pub, which has been closed since October.

The “Friends of the Smiths” have applied to register it as an asset of community value with the council. If successful, they could gain the right to enact a six-month moratorium to raise the funds needed to make an offer.

The group is also running a consultation to evaluate local support for community ownership.

Nadia Ferri-Bishop, who helped to set up the group, said: “The response so far shows how well-loved and valued this public house is.

“The Smiths is more than just a place for people to enjoy a drink; it’s hosted popular music events and quiz nights for years and supported several charitable causes.

“Many people have used the pub to forge lasting friendships and to mark important family occasions, such as weddings, christenings and wakes. It clearly holds a lot of special memories.”

In a decision notice issued on Monday, Durham County Council said the application has been refused because: “The pub use provides a much valued facility to the local community and its loss would have a negative impact upon the quality of life, particularly in the social sense, of the local community which has not been adequately justified by the viability, marketing and supporting information submitted with the application.”

Speaking prior to the decision being published, Ms Ferri-Bishop said refusal of the application “could be an opportunity for the community to come together to safeguard the pub’s future”.

“It’s really important for us to understand what people want to support and invest in before we go any further,” she added.

“If there’s enough interest we’ll work with an expert business adviser from national charity Plunkett Foundation, who have helped many communities to successfully take ownership of their local pub.”

Details of the consultation can be found on Facebook by searching “Save the Smiths” or by visiting: bit.ly/3xmSd4c. The consultation runs until Tuesday.

A statement submitted to the council on behalf of the owner, Kevin Brown, said: “The last years have had an unprecedented impact on the food and drink sector and there is little prospect of any operator reopening the property as a pub. Given that the demolition and redevelopment of the property has been ruled out the applicant is seeking to convert the property to a residential use.

“The pub previously attempted to diversify by introducing a restaurant offer however this did not prove viable pre-Covid.

“A number of different agents were used to market the pub and none were able to find a purchaser wishing to acquire the pub.

“The proposed change of use would bring the property back into residential use. Historically the property previously had a residential use.”