Time looks set to be called on a village pub.

Landlord Hari Johnston has applied for planning permission to convert The Railway Tavern in The Crescent, Teynham, into a house as it is “no longer commercially viable”.

The 49-year-old and his wife, Katherine, currently live above the watering hole, which they have owned since August 2009.

There were fears the pub would close prior to the couple taking it over, as former owner Enterprise Inns had put restrictions on its sale that would, in effect, have resulted in it becoming a restaurant.

The company lifted the restrictions after more than 600 villagers signed a petition.

Over the years, the villagers’ support for the boozer has dwindled, and it now only opens from 4pm to 7pm, Tuesday to Thursday, 4pm to 9pm on Friday, 3pm to 10pm on Saturday, and midday to 6pm on Sunday.

The loss of trade has resulted in Mr Johnston losing £35,000 of his own money.

In a letter supporting his application to Swale council, Mr Johnston, who also runs the village shop Verni Mini Market, said: “In an effort to reverse the downward trend in turnover we diversified and opened a Indian and Sri Lankan restaurant and take-away service. This had to close through lack of patronage.

“There is a downward trend towards… drinking in public houses mainly due to the cost.

“In an effort to reduce overhead costs, we have reviewed our opening hours to reflect customer demand. More often than not, we close before the stated closing time due to lack of customers.

“If the Railway Tavern were to close, there would be little or no likelihood of it ever re-opening. We are therefore seeking permission to convert the property back into a private house.”

See the planning application in full at www.ukplanning.co.uk and search for reference number SW/13/1556.