A hotel owner has snapped up a village pub to make sure it isn’t turned into housing.

The boss of the Littlestone Hotel near New Romney has bought The Captain Howey next door as he wants to keep the venue as a community space.

When the pub was put on the market earlier this year, hotel owner Dino, who asked KentOnline not to use his surname, quickly put in an offer.

He said: “About a year ago a London company approached The Captain Howey offering them a million pounds to take it over on the condition we also sold them the hotel.

“But we were not interested in selling it.

“I was worried someone was going to wipe out the Howey next door for apartments.

“When it was put up for sale, within no time we put in our offer.

“There were no other people interested in taking it over as a pub, because pubs are closing and people told me to be careful.

“But we didn't want anybody turning up with a digger.

“The Howey has been let down for the past few years and I thought we could bring it back to its former glory.

“There is a lot of work to be done there but it will be a good project and good for the community.”

Dino took over the Littlestone Hotel in 2003, which has 16 self-contained rooms.

The Captain Howey comes with nine guest rooms which will be run by hotel staff and serve as an extension to the business.

The pub and restaurant will be managed by a separate local company Dino is hoping to work with, although the details are yet to be confirmed.

Dino, who is a governor at three Kent schools, said: “It will still be a pub and a restaurant but it will be more than a place for people to go for a pint.

“We want the Howey to be inclusive and not just for drinking.

“It will be a place for coffee, birthdays and afternoon teas where everybody is welcome.

“So many people have said, they live within walking distance of the Howey but they have only been there twice in the last six years and we want to change that.”

The Captain Howey in Littlestone Road closed in September after the previous owners left the site.

After a few upgrades, Dino hopes to have it back open in the middle of November.