Locals plead with Paul Hollywood over historic pub becoming a home

Pubgoers are fighting to stop a Grade-II listed inn run by the wife of TV star Paul Hollywood from being turned into a house.

Plans to turn The Chequers Inn in the Kent village of Smarden have sparked fury from locals, with a group now raising money to buy the building and run it for themselves as a community pub because they are worried it could be 'lost forever'.

The pub has been owned by the Spalding family for years, including long-serving landlady Melissa Spalding. She married Bake Off judge Hollywood last September - and locals have now appealed directly to him to step in.

The pub's owner Glenn Spalding submitted plans in January to turn the 16th-century building into a single-dwelling home, with a decision set to be made on Wednesday.

Dozens have objected and are instead supporting plans to make it a community venue.

One villager said: 'It would be a crying shame. I cannot believe it would be a good idea for us to lose such an asset, which is what the pub provides.

'Surely Paul can get involved and make a difference. The community is right behind plans to keep it the way it is.'

Russ Phipps, 60, one of the group's seven members and a regular at The Chequers, said: 'The group came about when we realised we could lose our pub forever.

'It's still early days, and we're going through a process, but our prime objective is to save the pub. The village has experience doing this, as we've shown with the community shop.

'At least if it shuts or turns into a house, we can walk past with our heads held high and think we tried everything.'

The application for conversion, which is recommended for approval by planning officers, details how the pub struggles to compete with nearby rivals The Flying Horse and The Bell, which are both owned by breweries.

It says: 'With three public houses serving such a small community and with a changing approach to drinking in the 20th century, it was always going to be difficult for all three to survive.

'There is no obvious other commercial use for the building, so the decision was made to seek a residential use.

'Whilst the business has good Tripadvisor reviews, Smarden is not located in a prime position to capitalise on the tourist trade and the trade there is no longer adequate to maintain the business.'

The application adds that three local attractions drawing visitors - Headcorn Aerodrome, the Big Cat Sanctuary and Sissinghurst Castle - now have accommodation options closer to them.

Hollywood reportedly met Ms Spalding at the pub four years ago, and she has been the landlady for 16 years.