A VILLAGE pub which was sold earlier this year is set to be converted into a house if a planning application gets the go-ahead.

The Fox and Hounds in Bricket Wood was put on the market by pub company Punch Taverns last year following a number of failed tenancies under its ownership.

And the new owner has applied to convert the building in Station Road into a single dwelling, knocking down the bar to create a living space downstairs.

In his application, Paul Amsterdam provided a brief history of the pub’s tenancy which included details of the business failures and an incident at the end of last year involving malicious damage and an assault. He said that the police closed the pub and it remained shut for seven weeks.

He also said that police had told him the premises had been closed on numerous other occasions upon their advice and that both officers and neighbours had expressed positivity to a change of use.

Being a CAMRA member and musician playing in pubs himself, Mr Amsterdam said that he had been very mindful in his decision to close the pub.

He continued: “The fabric of the building is in a poor state of repair and work has begun to rectify the most basic needs. This degradation not only reflects on the building itself, but also on the neighbourhood. I would rather see a beautiful family home full of character gracing the green in Bricket Wood, rather than a forlorn and dishevelled pub. The establishment does not represent an amenity to the area.”

Three other pubs remain in the village. In 2008 the Herts Advertiser highlighted the plight of Punch Taverns tenants Gary and Sandra Higginbotham who took over the Old Fox in School Lane but found themselves strangled by what they alleged were excessive rent and beer charges, taking into account the amount of trade they turned over. That pub was sold last year by Punch Taverns, who refuted the claims, and it continues to operate under private ownership.