A DERELICT village pub is to be bulldozed to make way for houses after residents complained it was becoming an eyesore.

Planning bosses at Chiltern District Council had recommended permission should not be given to knock down the Prince of Wales in Little Kingshill because two planned houses were considered inappropriate development for the Green Belt.

But residents said they wanted the Windsor Lane pub to be pulled down, having seen two previous attempts to build houses on the site turned down.

It was third time lucky though, as members of the council's planning committee voted in favour of allowing the new houses during their meeting on Thursday night.

It said in the council officers' report that building work would be "detrimental to the locality" and would be inappropriate development for protected Green Belt land.

But Sandra MacDonald of the Little Kingshill Village Society said at the meeting: "Nothing could be more detrimental to the appearance of our village than the derelict eyesore we've been obliged to endure over the last three years."

She added: "The repeated refusal [to give planning permission] has certainly made a big difference to the quality of life in the village.

"Power continues to be exercised by the council not directly affected by the decision. We resent the decision foisted on us over this site."

The village's representative on the council, Robert Burns-Green, told committee members: "I think this is a good design. It's been sensitive to the street scene, its location and its tasteful size."

Referring to the state of the current pub building, Cllr Burns-Green added: "It's getting worse all the time."

Cllr Nigel Shepherd had queried the small garden space allocated for both houses but Cllr Alan Hardie said: "I think modern families now want a big house but don't want a big garden.

"There's enough amenity on the car park where kids can kick a ball around. It adds to the element of the garden - I don't see a problem there."

Committee members voted against their officers' recommendation to refuse permission, instead voting to give conditional permission subject to a legal agreement being confirmed.