THE landlady of a village pub said she is keen to see the business remain, despite applying for permission to turn it into flats.

The owners of the Good Intent in Crown Hill, Upshire, near Waltham Abbey, have put in a planning application to convert it into five flats, as they want to retire and have not yet been able to sell it as a pub.

But landlady Maria Pisanu, 62, said: “We've run it as a business for 24 years and would like to see it sold as a business. We have put so much hard work into it over the years.

“We're looking to retire and find a way out by selling it as a business or turning it into accommodation.”

She added that she and her husband Mario, 71, were running the pub with just a chef to help and it was time for them to retire.

Crown Hill resident Gordon Webb, 32, said he would prefer the pub to be kept in its current use, as it was an asset to the village.

“It would be nice for it to be kept as a country pub,” he added. “In the summer, it's a nice little village and you want a pub where you can sit out the back.”

Neighbour Brenda Durde, 65, said: “It's a nice pub and it would be a shame to lose it. There are only two other pubs here.”

The district council rejected Mr and Mrs Pisanu's previous application to convert the pub in May, stating that they had not proved it was no longer needed as a pub by the community or as a place of work.

It also claimed that the layout of the flats would mean they would be too noisy for the occupants.

Council planners will now consider the fresh application before deciding whether the conversion can go ahead.