A COMMUNITY is celebrating after planning chiefs turned down an application to turn South Hinksey’s last remaining pub into a house.

The Vale Brewery submitted plans to convert the award-winning General Elliot after its original bid to expand the venue with nine guest bedrooms was turned down by Vale of White Horse District Council.

The venue was Oxford Camra’s pub of the year in 2007 and 2008 but has been closed for 18 months after its last landlord left.

Now villagers whose only other communal spaces are a village hall and church have called on South Hinksey Parish Council to open discussions with the Vale Brewery about compromise plans.

Matthew Frohn, who lives opposite the pub in Manor Road, said: “We’re very pleased it was turned down.

“We feel we have won the battle but not the war as its future is still up in the air.

“The right thing now is for the parish council to approach the brewery formally on behalf of the village to see how we can work with them and support them.”

The district council turned down the conversion labelling the General Elliot an “important community facility”.

Since the pub closed, residents have begun a mock pub scheme with villagers opening their houses on Friday evenings for get-togethers.

The nights have regularly attracted 40 villagers.

Mr Frohn, 43, said: “In the absence of a pub, the village will find other ways of filling that gap.

“But the mock pub scheme is unsustainable because it has increased in popularity and there are fewer and fewer houses that can now host one of the pub evenings.

“It’s very heartening that they’ve recognised it as an important community facility.

“We demonstrate that every week when we meet in each others’ houses.”

Ian Mackay, of the Vale Brewery, based at Brill, near Thame, said: “Everyone seems to reject every idea we have got.

“We can’t do anything in term of selling it or turning it into a viable pub.”

The parish council opposed the original plans to expand the pub, objecting to the size and density of the development.

But chairman Maggie Rawcliffe said members would be willing to look at a revised scheme to expand the pub on a smaller scale.

Mrs Rawcliffe added: “The pub needs to be developed to be viable.

“I’m sure an acceptable compromise can be found to establish a viable pub in this village.”