DEVELOPERS could win permission to turn a North Yorkshire village pub into housing next week.

Hambleton District Council planners have said proposals by York-based Skelwith Properties Ltd to convert the Three Tuns in Raskelf, near Easingwold, into a four-bedroom house and build two other homes in its car park should be given the go-ahead, after the firm scaled back its original scheme.

They initially wanted to demolish the pub and replace it with ten flats and two houses, but this application was withdrawn in June over concerns about the size, layout and design of the development.

However, plans for a smaller scheme are still being opposed by Raskelf Parish Council, while residents who have objected said the loss of the pub would deprive the village of “a historic community hub” and its future viability as a business had not been properly assessed.

The Three Tuns has been closed since last November, and Skelwith said a string of operators over recent years have not been able to make it succeed.

A report by district council planner Jonathan Saddington said the pub site had “deteriorated significantly in recent months due to lack of maintenance”, and agreed with residents that the developers had shown “limited evidence” about what had been done to keep the business going.

However, it said Raskelf’s other pub, The Old Black Bull, was about 100 metres away from The Three Tuns, saying: “It would be difficult to argue that two village pubs in such close proximity to each other are essential to the continued vitality and viability of village life in Raskelf.

“The opportunity to extend and diversify The Three Tuns is limited, and its closure would, to some extent, strengthen The Old Black Bull’s standing as the village hub and its commercial viability.”

Some residents have also objected over issues such as privacy and the design of the homes. Mr Saddington’s report said the developers had put forward an “innovative and attractive scheme” which would reflect Raskelf’s character.