PLANS to turn a pub in a Ryedale town into two flats have been approved.

Ryedale District Council has given permission for the conversion of the building which housed The Jockey, in Wheelgate, Malton, into a pair of one-bedroom flats on the ground floor of the site after its owners, Homfray Hotels Ltd, said it was no longer viable as a pub.

The firm bought the building in 2009 and a statement sent to council planners said it had hoped “significant capital investment” could “transform its fortunes”.

But pubs in Malton had struggled in recent years and The Jockey’s turnover had dropped to a level where it could not continue operating.

The building is Grade II-listed, but Homfray said Malton had a shortage of “small flats” and the scheme would help meet housing demand.