Plans to build a swanky micropub next to a closed-down boozer at the entrance to a village are “dead in the water”, developers say.

Developer Alistair Noel has been thwarted twice in his attempts to erect the new tavern next to the Chapter Arms in Chartham Hatch, outside Canterbury.

As part of the scheme, two cottage bungalows were also proposed to be built on the plot to ensure the project’s viability.

But a year on from the city council’s latest decision to snub the proposals, Mr Noel has revealed he is unlikely to launch another bid to construct the new micropub.

“At the moment, it’s dead in the water,” he said.

“We didn’t feel the villagers wanted a micropub, and to secure its viability we needed to build the extra properties on the site.”

The vision for the grounds of the old pub – which he wanted to turn into a luxury four-bed home – drew more than 100 objections from concerned villagers keen to keep the Chapter Arms running.

However, Mr Noel has now lodged proposals with the local authority to officially convert the inn into a family home.

Documents say the tavern stopped trading in June 2017, just before the developer snapped up the building.

After it changed hands, Mr Noel’s father, Ralph, left his Staple home and moved into the premises with his girlfriend and two sons.

He left the building the following year, before a friend of theirs started living there as a tenant.

“There will be internal building works to fully transform it into a house. The property is getting worse with every month that goes past,” Mr Noel added.

“The plan is just to convert the old pub into a dwelling. The rest of the site will be landscaped.

“Hopefully it’ll tidy up the entrance to the village.

“We’ll be able to work the driveway out and improve that part of the village.

“People will see a lively landscape there, and one would imagine they’d welcome that.”

The bar has already been stripped from the Chapter Arms, while the former pub area is now used for “sitting, relaxation and as a domestic gym”.

“Hopefully it’ll tidy up the entrance to the village..."

Drawings also show parts of the building are being used as a designated children’s room, larder, television room and walk-in wardrobe.

Through the new application, Mr Noel wants the city council to grant the old alehouse a “certificate of lawfulness” for it to be used as a home.

Authority spokesman Rob Davies told KentOnline: “This application is for confirmation that the use is lawful, which will require the applicant to confirm whether or not the use has been ongoing for the past four years.

“We are not being asked to make any judgment about whether the use was or was not lawful in the previous four years.

“In many cases a use will have existed for many more than four years but it is the four years immediately prior to the application for a certification that is under consideration.”