A Welsh council has rejected plans to demolish a disused rural pub, on the grounds that it would mean the loss of a valued community facility.
The City Inn, at City, Vale of Glamorgan, is owned by Prisk Pub Co and has stood vacant since late 2005.
The firm submitted plans to demolish the pub and build a five-bedroom home on the site, but this was refused as it contravened Welsh national planning policy as well as the council's guidelines on retaining community facilities.
The council looked at evidence from the local community, including a 44-strong petition that objected to the application, saying, "the applicant failed to make the pub viable and failed to market it appropriately to secure its future use as a pub".
Welsh Assembly Member Andrew RT Davies asked the council to consider the "devastating effect the loss could have on the communities of City and Llansannor".
The council ruled: "The proposal will result in the loss of an established and valued community facility. Insufficient evidence has been submitted to prove that the existing public house is unviable or that it has been appropriately marketed to overcome this principal policy objection to the scheme."
The council's report stated that the pub's freehold value was greatly overestimated and that this, alongside ineffective marketing, had hampered any sale.