A CONTROVERSIAL plan to redevelop a closed pub into a family home has been rejected after 58 objections. 

Patrick Langdown, director of Dorset Flint and Stone Blocks Limited, had lodged plans to renovate The Plough in Longparish into a five-bedroom home. 

But the proposal sparked backlash from those living in the village, and even from as far as Jersey, stating that it would be a loss of a ‘historic village amenity’. 

And Test Valley Borough Council backed the objectors saying the plan “would erode the character of this historic village by virtue of the loss of an historic community facility”. 

In his application Mr Langdown had stated the pub had sat on the market for over 11 months and it was “no longer, or cannot be made, commercially viable”. 

However, planning chiefs criticised him claiming that he had supplied insufficient information and justification that the pub could no longer be used. 

The decision has been welcomed by action group Plough Ahead which wants to get the tavern up and running. 

Andy Joliffe, Longparish Community Association chairman and group spokesman, said: “We are obviously very pleased, without the application being refused any chance of returning it to a pub would have been lost.

“It gives us a real hope that The Plough could be returned to the village as a thriving pub at the heart of our community.”

The members’ work will not stop with the planning decision, but they are hoping to start talks with Mr Langdown to buy the pub. 

“We made an approach to him last year on whether he would be of mind to run it as a pub, and now we are in the process of re-establishing communication.

“We really hope after this planning decision that the owners will reconsider and talk to us about how that could happen.” 

The group is looking at business models of how the pub could be run if it is sold to them. 

Mr Langdown can appeal the decision.