RESIDENTS at Lyonshall have given a robust thumbs up to housing plans directly aimed at saving their crumbling village pub.

Following a strongly attended public meeting in Lyonshall, a ballot organised by the parish council revealed a 74.3 per cent vote in favour of 15 proposed houses on three sites in the village. The plans, put forward by local farmer Kinsey Hearn, also include a second phase totalling 45 houses for the village.

Parish councillor Chris Smith, who has been at the forefront of moves to safeguard the beleaguered Royal George’s future, announced that one in three residents voted in favour of the initial house-building phase. The ballot also demonstrated that there was no significant opposition to a planning bid for 30 more houses.

Of 516 consultation letters which went out to households in Lyonshall, a total of 187 were completed.

Mr Smith echoed local feelings about the “fairly depressing” mood in Lyonshall since the George, last survivor of Lyonshall’s one time tally of seven pubs, closed two years ago.

“There has been nowhere for people to meet.

“The comments we’ve received say that the village needs new blood,” he said.

Mr Hearn outlined to the 16 THE HEREFORD TIMES Thursday, March 5, 2015 herefordtimes.com public meeting that a successful housing bid would ensure the 16th century pub would be fully restored and the project would include a village shop.

In the last few years, Lyonshall has lost its shop, post office, and farm shop.

The meeting was told that failure to secure the housing plans would mean that work on the pub would take longer, and would be a “lower profile” project, Mr Smith explained.

He believed the plans would regenerate Lyonshall, providing a ‘village centre’, with the hoped-for new village hall in a more central location.

Opponents of the plans claimed that extra housing would mean heavier traffic in the village.