Developer says Five Bells in Great Cornard, near Sudbury, has 'no future as pub' as housing conversion plan submitted

A rural watering hole, which has been a fixture of Great Cornard for two centuries, could soon be transformed into housing after a developer said it had 'no future' as a pub.

A change-of-use application to redevelop the Five Bells was submitted to Babergh District Council this month, seeking permission to convert it into three homes.

The pub ceased trading in September after residential developer 20 Gainsborough Ltd purchased the business from Hawthorn, The Community Pub Company, in late 2021.

Since the closure, the building in Bures Road has sat vacant and unused, with the windows boarded up and the pub signage removed.

David Clarkson, director of 20 Gainsborough Ltd, explained that trade at the Five Bells had been 'in terminal decline' since before the Covid-19 pandemic, and argued its loss as a pub would not impact the community at large.

In a planning statement supporting the application, he added that the site was marketed as a pub last year, while it was still operational, but no offers seeking to retain it for this purpose were received.

“It might be suggested that the Five Bells is a community asset and, for this reason alone, development should be resisted,” said Mr Clarkson. “However, this is not a public house that has been supported by the community, as its financial performance attests.

“In the period pre-Covid, the performance of the pub was dismal and, over the years, it has merely deteriorated. It is not economically viable and the pub has now ceased to trade.

“The demise of the Five Bells as a pub will not impact the community at large and remove an important community asset.

“Within 350 metres, the vibrant Kings Head is a sustainable and welcoming public house that already serves the locals well.

“This should be viewed against that backdrop of declining pub numbers nationally. Between 2000 and 2017, numbers declined 20 per cent.

“With the advent of Covid and changing social habits, that decline has accelerated.

“With all this in mind, it is not surprising there is no future for the Five Bells as a public house and it should be recognised that is time to repurpose the building.

“The Five Bells was once a successful pub. Sadly, those years are well behind us.

“It has been in decline for many years and is now a very pale shadow of its former self. It is time for the building to enter a new era.”

The application lodged with Babergh District Council proposes to convert the pub, plus the disused cart lodge and sheds to the rear, into one three-bedroom house and two two-bedroom properties.

The plans also pledge to restore and retain almost all of the building’s existing façade, in order to maintain the integrity of the Great Cornard streetscape.

Prior to shutting its doors, the Five Bells had operated for more than 16 years under landlady Wendy Mezni, who had also lived within the pub during this time.

Mrs Mezni told SuffolkNews last year that she was devastated by the pub’s sale and had hoped it could continue trading, but acknowledged that business had dropped significantly in recent years.