A bid to sweep away a landmark village pub and add a terrace of ten homes is drawing concerns.

Lowestoft-based Elizabeth Holdings wants to demolish the First and Last pub in Yarmouth Road, Ormesby, and add the two and three bedroom starter homes.

But the parish council says it is fiercely opposed to the development which members say sees too many homes crammed onto the prominent plot at a gateway entrance to the village.

Councillor Geoff Freeman said the string of homes was 'unneighbourly' and 'just a mess.'

'We would have loved it to have carried on as a pub,' he said. 'This is a total over development of the site. As you come into the village it's the first thing you see. It would be nice to think they would build something of character and there is going to be quite a big issue with the traffic.

'There is also a road way running through the site and we are not sure of the ownership. The only benefit is that we will not have an eyesore in the derelict pub as you approach the village.

'It is a pity because it would have been lovely to have had a really nice pub and restaurant but we have to accept that there is going to be development over the next few years because the Government has given Yarmouth quite a big target to build and if you don't do it the place just dies.'

Mr Freeman said the parish council was pushing for the application to be dealt with at committee level rather than under delegated powers.

He understood nearby residents had also objected to the scheme.

A spokesman for Elizabeth Holdings said the company was tasked with supplying cheaper homes for younger people.

Under the plans the terrace will be set back further from the road than the pub giving a clearer view of the bend.

Access will be from the back, with some garden at the front.

Dean Minns, senior planner at Great Yarmouth Borough Council, said officers needed to be convinced that the pub was not viable and that everything had been done to market it to the right people. They would also look at the issue of over-development. The site is among those earmarked for new homes in the local plan.

The application comes as a crucial decision is awaited on a 180 homes north of Caister that critics say will effectively blur the boundaries between the two villages.

A decision is expected by the end of February.