A bid to build holiday lets in the beer garden of a village pub has narrowly been given the green light.

Plans for seven holiday lodges in the Butchers Arms in East Ruston in a north Norfolk village split councillors' opinion at a meeting on Thursday.

This is the second time an application for lodges on the site has been heard by North Norfolk District Council's (NNDC) development committee after it rejected a bid in January last year with two extra units.

The new plans saw a number of amendments, including the removal of external decking and jacuzzis.

Mr Dixon, an agent for the developer, Oulton Broad Properties Ltd, told the committee the scheme has evolved since the previous refusal.

He said: "Whilst objections have been raised concerning the loss in the area of space for local public events, the reality is that no such events have taken place for an excess of five years, even when Covid rules meant that outdoor hospitality was the only thing that would be allowed.”

Addressing noise concerns, Mr Dixon said the council’s environmental team have supported the plans.

Summing up he added: “The development will provide an attractive low-key scheme in line with policy, which will be carefully controlled, bringing much-needed investment not only for the benefit of the pub but the wider community.”

Lucy Shires, the Happisburgh ward councillor, called for a rethink on the plans, suggesting a further reduction to four or five units.

Another alternative she put forward called for the lodges to be scrapped completely for an internal pub expansion, she said this would reduce noise, which is the neighbours biggest concern.

The application divided councillors opinions, with some arguing that the plans should be approved to help keep the pub a viable business.

Conservative Nigel Pearce said he understood the need to diversify to ensure survival but criticised the design of the buildings and for the lodges being developed before the pub.

He said: "You are going to butcher this area, Butchers Arms is the right name for it.”

Councillors voted eight for the plans and six against.

Lowestoft businessmen Mark Oakes and Sam Cole of Oulton Broad Properties bought the Butchers Arms in late 2018 after it was forced to close due to rising overheads and shrinking takings.

While the pub bounced back in 2019 it closed again in March 2020 and has not reopened since.