Great British Bake Off judge Paul Hollywood described criticism of the closure of the Kent pub owned by his wife’s family as “unforgivable”.

Melissa Hollywood was supported by her husband Paul as she received approval from Ashford Borough Council on Wednesday to convert the 600-year-old Chequers Inn into a residential home.

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

The application, submitted in January, met with opposition from some residents and Smarden Parish Council, who feared the loss of the village pub as a ‘heritage’ site.

After the tense planning meeting, Mr Hollywood explained that his wife’s family wanted to sell the pub as a business and had no plans to convert it into a residential property.

He said they received an offer a few months ago that was “not realistic.”

The star baker continued, “If the villagers want to pull themselves together, make a bid and buy it, that’s fine.

“At the end of the month they are scheduled to close because they cannot maintain the incoming funds because there is no money coming in.”

Mr Hollywood, who married the landlady last September, said business was slow despite the family spending tens of thousands on renovations and a new parking lot.

He said: “I will have to step in and help them personally, but I am not a charity.

“I’ve invested a considerable amount of money to make it what it is today. It’s a beautiful pub, but it’s a money-losing business.”

Mrs Hollywood told the meeting that her family planned to close the listed pub by the end of August because sales were falling and the business was no longer profitable.

Ms Hollywood told the committee: “The last six months have shown us people’s behaviour at its worst, the personal insults and attacks have been unforgivable.”

The pub, which has been run by Ms Hollywood for 16 years and is owned by her father Glenn Spalding, was originally put up for sale in November 2020 and remains on the market, the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Documents submitted to the council show that the owners have used four estate agents since the property was first listed for just under £1 million.

Lea Randolph, of Smarden Parish Council, told the meeting: “To get more money, they want the parish council to convert a 14th century listed building into a residential building and deprive the village of a pub that has been part of village life for over 600 years.”

However, Ashford councillors acknowledged attempts by Mrs Hollywood and her family to sell the historic pub as a business.

A visibly moved Mrs Hollywood said the financial difficulties had taken a toll on her elderly father.

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

City councillors voted seven to five to approve the application, giving Ms Hollywood and her family several years to implement the change of use.