Bake Off judge Paul Hollywood defends wife after 'unforgivable’ Kent pub row | Paul Hollywood

Paul Hollywood has defended his wife after „unforgivable” criticism from locals in a Kent village upset over the closure of a historic pub she owned.

Melissa Hollywood went before Ashford borough council this week to get permission to convert the 600-year-old Checkers Inn in Smarten into a single family home.

The application, submitted in January, was opposed by some residents and Smarten Parish Council, which argued that the Grade II-listed pub was of historic importance to the town and that its closure would hurt the local economy.

„The local residents’ revenge on a family that has been here for 18 years is inexcusable,” said Paul Hollywood told BBC South East On Friday.

Even with funding from The Great British Bake Off judge, Hollywood said the business was failing despite his wife and family spending tens of thousands of pounds refurbishing the pub.

„I’ve paid a significant amount to change what it is now,” Hollywood said. „It’s a lovely pub but it’s a money-losing business.”

He said the family, who have owned the pub for 16 years, had not originally intended to convert the pub into a home and were planning to sell it as a business.

However, during four years on the market, the pub received only one offer, according to Hollywood. Documents submitted as part of the application show the family has gone through four estate agents since first listing the property in 2020 for under £1 million.

48 written objections were attached to the application, with some arguing that closing the Checkers Inn would mean the loss of a historically significant community amenity.

In a statement against the application, Smarten Parish Council argued that the gap left by the Checkers Inn could not be filled by two other pubs in the village: The Flying Horse, owned by Shepherd Name and located about 100 meters away. Checkers does not offer rooms to guests like the Inn; There is no Smarten Bell located a mile away.

At the planning meeting, Melissa Hollywood said the past six months had „shown us the worst in people’s behavior” and made a plea on behalf of her elderly father.

„Ask yourself – would you work 12- to 16-hour shifts every day and lose money, and would you do it if you were 80 years old with life-threatening heart disease?” she said.