Paul Hollywood has defended his wife following “unforgivable” criticism from locals in a Kent village who are angry about the closure of a historic pub owned by her and her family.

Melissa Hollywood approached Ashford Town Council this week and received approval to convert the 600-year-old Chequers Inn in Smarden into a family home.

The application, submitted in January, was met with opposition from some residents and Smarden Parish Council, who argued that the listed pub had historical significance for the town and that its closure would damage the local economy.

“The vindictiveness of the locals against the family who have lived here for 18 years is unforgivable,” Paul Hollywood told BBC South East on Friday.

Hollywood said the business was still unsuccessful despite financial support from The Great British Bake Off judge, which his wife and her family had spent on renovating the pub.

“I’ve spent a considerable amount of money turning it into what it is today,” Hollywood said. “It’s a beautiful pub, but it’s a money-losing business.”

He said the family – who owned the pub for 16 years – had originally not intended to convert the pub into a residential property, but wanted to sell it as a business.

However, despite being up for sale for four years, the pub received just one offer, Hollywood said. Documents submitted as part of the application showed the family had used four agents since first listing the property for under £1m in 2020.

The application was accompanied by 48 written objections, some of which argued that the closure of the Chequers Inn would mean the loss of a community institution with historical significance.

In a report submitted against the application, Smarden Parish Council argued that the other two pubs in the village were unable to fill the gap left by the Chequers Inn: the Flying Horse, owned by Shepherd Neame, about 100 yards away, did not offer rooms for guests, unlike the Chequers Inn; nor did the Smarden Bell, a mile away.

At the planning meeting, Melissa Hollywood said the last six months had shown us “the worst of human behavior” and presented a plea on behalf of her elderly father.

“Ask yourself: Would you work a 12- to 16-hour shift every day just to make a loss, and would you do that if you were 80 years old and had life-threatening heart disease?” she said.