Officers from the Heritage Lottery Fund have visited Bungay to find out more about the ambitious King's Head Hotel and castle project.

Eastern Daily Press: The back of the hotel building leading to Bungay Castle. Picture: Archant.The back of the hotel building leading to Bungay Castle. Picture: Archant. (Image: Archant Norfolk � 2016)

They visited the town in December to meet representatives from the museum and Bungay Castle Trust, which now owns the King's Head site.

The trust is now beginning the process of setting up a feasibility study for the site as a whole, and the heritage project group was updated on the progress at their meeting last Wednesday.

During their visit, Heritage Lottery officers were shown around the site which includes the castle and grounds, Odd Fellows Hall, the cart sheds and King's Head building.

The group's plans are based around the town's rich heritage, and will include a visitor centre, museum, and apprenticeship and vocational workshops for heritage construction skills.

The trust will be holding public consultations to get the views of the community on the proposals, and to make sure the bid is sustainable and able to benefit both residents and visitors.

Olly Barnes, now chairman of the Castle Trust and the heritage project group, said there was a lot of work to be done and that the trust is hoping to get the first stage of the Heritage Lottery Fund bid in within six months. The whole process could last two years.

He said it was a large and complex bid to put together, and other sources of funding will also be sought to support the project.

Information boards will soon be going up on the front of the King's Head in the window apertures, showing the latest stage of the project and images that relate to the history, castle and town.

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