A Norfolk inn which closed before Covid after trade dwindled is for sale for £460,000 with planning to be turned into homes.

Eastern Daily Press: The 'regal' sitting room in the upstairs apartment in the former pub.The 'regal' sitting room in the upstairs apartment in the former pub. (Image: Sowerbys)

Owner David Francis ran the Inn on the Green in New Buckenham from 2011, but closed down last March.

He said he was earning just £2.80 an hour with overheads and a lack of people coming in for meals because of the increase in people choosing takeaways instead.

Eastern Daily Press: The former pub which is for sale.The former pub which is for sale. (Image: Sowerbys)

After failing to secure a buyer to take it on as a pub, he applied for planning to turn it into new homes.

The property now is for sale with full planning to be converted into two ground floor apartments with the upstairs already converted into 'regal' living accommodation.

Agents Sowerbys state a buyer could transform it into one large five or six bedroom home instead, subject to planning, with the advantage of being able to live on site while the work is done.

Eastern Daily Press: Julie Derges and David Francis, pictured in 2015 at the former Inn on the Green.Julie Derges and David Francis, pictured in 2015 at the former Inn on the Green. (Image: Archant Norfolk Photographic © 2015)

The agents state: "This imposing and beautiful landmark former public house is an unusual opportunity for a buyer looking to create a dream home in the centre of a highly sought after village ... rarely does the opportunity come along to design and convert your own home within the walls of an already wonderful period property. The potential is incredible."

Before Covid struck, Mr Francis had said people were not dining out as much but preferring to order takeaways.

He said he felt people were only choosing to dine at the pub for special occasions which was not enough to sustain the business.

He said years previously they had been doing around 450 covers a week - which had dwindled to 250 on a good week.

He also said the pub had been for sale as a business for two years with two different agents with no real interest.

The Inn on the Green was once a hotel and was built in 1898 in anticipation of people arriving by train but in fact the construction of a railway line to the village never happened.