PLANS to close a famous New Forest pub have been thrown out after regulars raised a petition signed by more than 450 protesters.

New Forest District Council has rejected a controversial application to shut the Sir Walter Tyrrell near Brook and convert it into a luxury house.

Planning officers dismissed the application under delegated powers without referring it to councillors.

They ruled that the scheme contravened council planning policies because it would result in the loss of a community facility.

Regulars reacted angrily after proposals to convert the 64-year-old pub were unveiled by property company Breamore (Wessex) Ltd, which owns the site.

The building is named after the archer who killed King William II, nicknamed Rufus, during a hunting expedition in the Forest in 1100.

The Rufus Stone, which marks the spot where the king fell, is only a few hundred yards from the bar.

As well as the petition, the district council received objections from the Campaign For Real Ale (Camra) and the Tyrrell Family History Society, which meets at the pub.

Now planning officers have rejected the scheme on the grounds that it contravened policies that aim to protect community facilities and preserve the countryside.

They said the proposed conversion would have created a house for which there was no special need.

Steve Cattell, vice-chairman of Minstead Parish Council, said he was delighted that the application had been thrown out.

"The parish council lodged a strong objection to the scheme because it would have resulted in the loss of a parish amenity," he said. The Tyrrell is extremely popular in the summer, especially with tourists.

"It has a ready-made attraction right on its doorstep. Everyone who comes to the New Forest wants to see the Rufus Stone."

Local smallholder Keith Kerwood, who delivered the petition to the district council, said: "The Tyrrell is a real community pub with a good environment. Converting it into a house would be very bad."

Now campaigners must wait to learn if the applicant will lodge an appeal with the government's planning inspectorate, which has the power to overturn the council's decision.

A Breamore (Wessex) Ltd spokesman said no one was available for comment.