THE future of the Cap 'n' Gown pub will be up for debate when borough council staff meet Gorleston residents to find out how they would like the pub site to be developed.

THE future of the Cap 'n' Gown pub will be up for debate when borough council staff meet Gorleston residents to find out how they would like the pub site to be developed.

The borough's neighbourhood management team was due to hold a consultation session outside the Magdalen Way pub between 2pm and 4pm on Thursday to find out how they would like the empty building used.

The popular pub closed a month ago after landlord Steve Andrews quit due to the effects of the economic downturn, the smoking ban and anti-social behaviour in the area, and has since been put on the market- attracting interest from a number of potential buyers.

However, the pub was not the only subject for discussion as council staff were also trying to find out how they could improve life for residents on the Magdalen estate as part of a week-long series of consultations across the estate.

Julie Woods, the council's neighbourhood manager for Shrublands, Magdalen and Elmhurst Court, said on Tuesday afternoon they had spoken to 87 residents since the consultation began the previous day.

She said: “We have had a quite a few replies and most of those have been positive. As part of neighbourhood management, it is my job to pull all the agencies together and if they have an idea they can put it in place. It is a multi-agency approach involving the police, health services, county council and borough council. The residents are very important in this.”

The council team has a �10,000 budget to spend on improvements to the estate, so if residents wanted more play facilities the money could be spent on a play area.