Councillors have unanimously voted in favour of allowing the demolition of a former pub in Thetford and the construction of a 66-bed care home to replace it.

The Ark pub - formerly known as the Deer’s Leap - on Norwich Road, had already been half-demolished in August 2019.

But in an application submitted to Breckland Council earlier this year, LNT Care Developments requested permission to complete the demolition and build the care home in its place.

The decision to allow the project was made at a meeting of Breckland’s planning committee on Thursday, at which a council officer pointed out that the district has a shortage of care provision.

An agent speaking on behalf of LNT told the committee the new two-storey facility would provide local employment as well as removing an “eyesore” building, which had attracted “unwanted behaviour over the last few years”.

The permission will be formally granted once scheme’s sewerage details have been identified.

Conservative councillor Robert Kybird warned: “I do know that that combined sewer under heavy rainfall floods and lifts covers, and discharges raw sewage between that point and the river.”