A VILLAGE pub is set to be reborn after being shut for seven years.

The Bay Horse in Terrington closed in 2011 after a series of different owners and time spent as a Thai restaurant. It has been empty ever since.

In 2013, new owners attempted to buy the pub but their offer became the subject of an injunction.

This lasted until July 2015, when administrators HSBC became free to sell the building and the new owners acquired it.

It is now set to become the Whippet in Terrington - a sister establishment to the Whippet Inn in North Street in York.

The pub is a Grade-II listed building located within the Terrington conservation area.

At a meeting of the Ryedale District Council planning committee last Tuesday, permission was granted for a number of external alterations, a complete refurbishment inside, including the creation of four en-suite letting rooms, and the addition of managers’ accommodation, ahead of the pub’s re-opening.

Owner Andrew Whitney told the committee that the building is currently unspectacular.

“So I need to lose the ‘un’,” he said, adding: “I want to thank everyone involved - everyone’s really bought into it.

“Hopefully we can get it open again and open something that’s quite spectacular.”

The officers’ report said: “The re-opening of The Bay Horse Inn is considered to be a benefit to the wider community.

“It is considered that the application will support a sustainable, vibrant and healthy rural economy and provide a community facility.”

Councillors unanimously approved the changes, in line with officers’ recommendations.

Cllr Caroline Goodrick said: “I would be really pleased to see this come back into public use.”

Cllr Michael Cleary agreed: “The overall plan can only improve the amenity for everybody in the locality.”