A CAMPAIGN to re-open a village pub near York has suffered a planning blow.- as it enjoys 'incredible' support from local residents.

The Save Our Swan campaign group says the owners of the former White Swan at Thornton le Clay have appealed against Ryedale District Council’s refusal of planning permission for the pub to be converted into a five-bedroom house.

It says the group is waiting to learn more details of the appeal against the planning committee's decision of last autumn, but meanwhile, more than 500 people have replied to a questionnaire sent out in April to gauge the level of potential support for a bid to reopen the White Swan as a community pub.

It said an 'overwhelming' 96 per cent agreed that Thornton-le-Clay, situated between York and Malton, would be a better place to live if the pub was to return.

"Not surprisingly, engagement with village residents in Thornton-le-Clay, and neighbouring Foston, has been particularly high, with a response rate of over 80 per cent," said a spokesperson.

"However, over 150 responses came from central York, Ryedale and even further afield, demonstrating the notion of The White Swan as a ‘destination pub’, and also one that would be a part of the tourism map of Ryedale, supporting the region’s economy.

"The questionnaire also looked at the willingness of people to invest financially to see how tangible it may be to raise a fair market value for the pub, should it be presented to the market in the future – this was also encouraging with more than a quarter of respondents indicating that they would be willing to offer financial support.

"As one may expect, financial backing in the immediate vicinity is more heavily weighted, with two thirds of the pledged amount being from the two villages of Thornton-le-Clay and Foston."

Group chair Matt Smith said it was encouraged by the 'incredible support' of the campaign so far, both in terms of the survey engagement and the level of financial back up indicated.

"To us, this goes one step further in demonstrating that this is a viable pub business, with marked potential to service local needs, as well as supporting Ryedale’s increasing reliance upon tourism, and the need for local employment and support of tertiary and services businesses in the area," he said.

He said that as the group waited to learn more details of the appeal, it was in a position of strength from which to move forward.

He said that now that the White Swan was listed as an ACV, ‘Asset of Community Value’, the local community would have first chance to purchase for the initial six months after it came on the market.

Responses to the questionnaire can still be received via www.thorntonleclaycommunitypub.co.uk until Tuesday.