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Villagers 'relieved' over court order to save pub

Robby West,in Pulham St Maryand
Zoe Applegate,Norfolk
Shaun Whitmore/BBC The whitewashed former pub, which is made up of two adjoined buildings. One is three storeys and the second is two storeys. Its ground floor windows are boarded up. The village sign stands on a green space outside the pub.Shaun Whitmore/BBC
The former King's Head pub in Pulham St Mary closed in 2007

Villagers have said they are "relieved" after a 17th-Century pub was saved from demolition.

The Grade II-listed former King's Head, in Pulham St Mary, near Diss, will not be knocked down after South Norfolk Council was granted a High Court injunction.

The pub closed in 2007 and its owner has repeatedly attempted to get planning permission to turn the building into housing.

Clayton Hudson, who represents the village on South Norfolk Council, said he was delighted by the decision, which "re-confirms that listed buildings are protected and demolishing them isn't an option".

One villager said: "It's the character of the village; it's the heart"

Hudson, an independent councillor, added: "What has been determined is that you need to prove it doesn't have any use as a public house first.

"I'd like to see it restored; brought back to its former glory.

"[That] needs to be through planning applications and listed building consents submitted to the council, on which the parish council, parishioners and local members can then comment.

"Then, hopefully, it will be determined at a planning committee."

Shaun Whitmore/BBC An aerial view of the former King's Head pub, a white building, with terracotta-coloured roof tiles. It sits by a road, on a bend. There are green spaces at the front and rear of the line of buildings.Shaun Whitmore/BBC
The building, which dates back to the 1600s in part, stands in the centre of the village

The council was granted the final injunction on 11 February to protect the former pub, which sits in a conservation area.

Over the years, owner Graham Scott submitted plans, which were rejected, to build homes on the site.

The BBC contacted him but he declined to comment.

In 2024, nearly 1,000 people signed a petition against the plans, according to the council.

The authority said it then believed the owner planned to demolish the pub, prompting it to go to the High Court to save the building.

Shaun Whitmore/BBC Jill Halliday has white curly short hair. She has a navy wool scarf and a navy padded jacket. She is standing against a boarded-up building.Shaun Whitmore/BBC
Jill Halliday said she was "very, very relieved" that the building would continue to be protected

Villager Jill Halliday, 78, said she would have been "absolutely devastated" had the demolition gone ahead as the building had been an "integral part of the village".

"It's part of a conservation area and it probably is one of the oldest standing buildings in the village," she said, adding that she was "very, very relieved" by the court order.

Shaun Whitmore/BBC Sinclair Glover wears a pair of black-framed glasses, a navy T-shirt and a navy fleece. He is standing outside the boarded-up building.Shaun Whitmore/BBC
Sinclair Glover said he remembered the former pub being at the "heart of the community"

Sinclair Glover, 63, who has lived next to the building for 39 years, said he remembered when the pub had been the "heart of the community".

"It's just such a very sore sight to see in the middle of the village," he said.

"Anybody coming through, everybody comments on it. It's strange to see it like it is."

He said he was pleased the building was being preserved but added: "Something needs to be done and it's got to be pushed forward."

Shaun Whitmore/BBC Vic Freeman has cropped brown hair. He is wearing a green wax jacket and a grey T-shirt. He is standing outside the boarded-up building.Shaun Whitmore/BBC
Vic Freeman said the building's condition was affecting the village's image

Fellow villager Vic Freeman, 64, said he also believed the "right decision" had been made.

"The majority of the villagers are concerned to try to get this village back into a presentable condition," he said.

"[It] doesn't necessarily need to be reopened as a pub... but protected, because it is a very important building."

The High Court has not yet published details of the injunction.

Pennoyer Museum Collection A black and white photograph of the pub with hanging baskets, a woman and a child outside. Two 1980s cars are parked outside. One has its boot open.Pennoyer Museum Collection
One villager remembered the pub being one of the few in the area with a garden

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