A country pub has gone on the market for £400,000 as a period property conversion with three detached homes on its footprint.
The First and Last, at the entrance to Ormesby St Margaret, closed seven years ago, giving visitors to the Broads’s village an untidy welcome ever since.
Initial schemes which failed to find favour included knocking it down and building a terrace of ten homes.
Some locals were adamant it did have a future as a traditional hostelry, especially with an estate of more than 180 homes being built on its doorstep.Former parish council chairman Geoff Freeman lead calls for it to be saved, mounting an effort to have it listed as a community asset and winning the support of CAMRA.
There was also an issue with a right of way across the site which is now being resolved with a stopping-up order.
The pub is on the market for £400,000 with Great Yarmouth-based East Commercial touting its convenient location, school bus service and great walks.
The site is being sold as a period conversion with permission for three detached houses with double garages all fronting Yarmouth Road.
Mr Freeman said it was “a travesty” the pub had been lost for the village and said there was still interest in keeping it going as a pub, albeit with more of restaurant offer.
“I think it is a travesty a wonderful site like that has been lost,” he said.
“If nobody had been interested I could have understood.
“There are a lot of places that have been turned into residential accommodation.
“If it was nicely converted it would make a very nice property. But it would be nicer if it was still a pub and I think the village needs it.”
Planning permission was granted in 2017.
At the time papers presented to the development control committee said issues around heritage elements and character had been sufficiently addressed.They said: “The designs are of a better quality and the retention of the main building of the public house reduces the loss of local character and heritage.”
“This proposal retains the existing pub frontage which is both attractive and a good feature to the street scene.”
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