PLANS to close a village pub and convert the building into a house have been thrown out.

Members of the North York Moors National Park Authority yesterday voted to refuse planning permission for the scheme at the Ship Inn at Port Mulgrave, near Whitby.

The owners had said the pub was no longer viable and attempts to sell it as a going concern had failed, but villagers objected and 69 people signed a petition opposing the move.

Planning officers had recommended the proposals be rejected, saying the loss of the facility would harm the economic and social wellbeing of the local community.