Old Coach and Horses pub in Harbledown, Canterbury, could be turned into four

Plans to turn a historic pub into housing have been met with dozens of objections - amid fears it would be an “irreplaceable” loss to the village.

The Old Coach and Horses in Harbledown, near Canterbury, shut down last year after a purchase fell through on the day of the contract exchange.

Now a bid has been lodged to turn it into a four-bed home, with applicants Abbott & Roberts arguing that no landlord has been able to make the pub a success over the past two decades.

But 51 objections have been sent to Canterbury City Council, with warnings that the permanent loss of the venue could have a “long-lasting, harmful effect on the community”.

In papers submitted to the authority, the applicants say: “A pub cannot be economically viable and function on the basis of a handful of local peop