A former village pub could be converted into ‘traditional family homes’ after the owners said the business was no longer viable.

The Dragoon Inn in Buckden Road, Brampton, closed more than two years ago.

Local competition and a lack of passing trade were given as reasons for why the pub was considered ‘unviable’ as a business.

Plans have been submitted to Huntingdonshire District Council to convert the pub into two homes, consisting of one two-bedroom home and one three-bedroom home.

The application submitted by Bossco Taverns Limited said the ‘traditional family homes’ proposed would secure the long-term future of the building.

In a planning statement, submitted as part of the application to the district council, the company said: “The subject pub traded as the Dragoon Inn until its closure in January 2020, as the business unfortunately had become unviable due to lack of passing trade and local competition.

“Recent marketing efforts have proved unsuccessful, with the pub initially advertised for sale in the spring of 2021 and subsequently being put on the market to let in the autumn of 2021, with no formal offers received.”

The plans also revealed that the former pub has been used to provide a temporary home to refugee families from Ukraine in weeks.

If the plans to convert the site were approved, the owner said the conversion works would take place in stages so that the refugees could continue to live in the building while the work took place.

The planning documents added that the applicant was “committed to housing the current tenants on an assured tenancy basis for a period into the future”.

The plans said the work would not require any major construction or demolition work outside of the building.

It added that the work would also provide an opportunity to renovate the exterior and “create enhanced landscaping across the site”, which it said would improve the character and appearance of the immediate area and the wider street scene.