VILLAGERS are upset that owners of a once award-winning pub have been given permission to turn it into a house.

The parish council and a number of people living in West Lavington wrote to Wiltshire Council to object to the proposal to allow the Bridge Inn in Church Street to become a house.

But officers decided the pub, which shut last year and has been on the market for a number of months, should be allowed to be converted and for its car park to become a garden.

A letter from the parish council said: "We are disappointed at the possible loss of what has been, in recent years, a very popular restaurant."

Villager Mark Wadman also wrote to express concern.

He said: "As a local resident it is a real shame to loose yet another village amenity. It is a sign of the times when villages are loosing their pubs as once they are gone they are forever gone.

"West Lavington used to have five pubs and now we will be down to just the one. I am also disappointed that local residents of West Lavington were not consulted about the change of use from a popular public house into a private dwelling."

Enterprise Inns told Wiltshire Council that a marketing campaign had been carried out to try and find someone to take the business over as a pub but had not found anyone to buy it.

A spokesman said: "The Bridge Inn has been openly marketed for seven months. Both the leasehold and freehold interests have been widely advertised throughout the marketing campaign.

"Interest for continued pub use was limited and the pub was marketed towards local, regional and national licensed trade operators."

Wiltshire Council decided the change should go ahead.

An officer's report said: "The applicant has sought to demonstrate that the Bridge Inn is no longer a viable pub business and has no alternative, viable commercial uses.

"It is considered that the loss of the community facility would be detrimental to the social fabric of the settlement and the third party letters of objection support this view."

But the officer concluded that sufficient evidence had been produced to show the pub was not viable and this was supported by the marketing exercise.