The Boot Inn, South Luffenham is to be turned into a 5-bedroom home

Last orders has been called on a country pub after planning officers approved its conversion to a five-bedroom home.

The Boot Inn at South Luffenham, which gained its name from its 19th Century origins as a shoe-making business, can be converted into a home after planning officers at Rutland County Council approved the application last week.

The pub on The Street, which was run by Punch Taverns, has struggled to secure long-term tenants and has had problems with a lack of parking. It was put on the market in 2023 for just under £400,000.

The planned conversion will comprise five bedrooms upstairs, and downstairs a kitchen, utility, dining room, lounge, boot room and snug.

South Luffenham Parish Council did not object to the application, noting that there is another pub in the village - The Coach House, in Stamford Road.

The council’s planning officer Paul Milne said the loss of a pub was ‘regrettable’ but the plans were acceptable.

He wrote: “The principle of development is considered to be acceptable and although the loss of the public house is regrettable, the case made is convincing and the village has a pub in proximity to the application site.

"The proposed plans are visually acceptable, preserving the character and appearance of the conservation area and not resulting in harm to the setting of any listed building.

"The proposals would be acceptable in terms of residential amenity and highway safety.”