Work to build a Suffolk village's only community facility is expected to begin early next year.

It has been almost a decade in the making, but nine years after the relocation of Worlingham Primary School, work on its former Rectory Lane site is set to begin.

The village is believed to be the largest in Suffolk without a community centre, pub or meeting room since the closure of the church hall in 2008.

The Worlingham Community Facility group entered into a partnership with Badger Building, with the land transferred to the group from Suffolk County Council for the creation of 19 new homes and a community centre.

Adrian Crockett, chair of the Worlingham Community Facility, said: "The plot of land in Rectory lane which housed Worlingham Primary School until 2013 has finally passed into the ownership of the trustees of the Worlingham Community Facility.

"Now, nine years on from the closure and demolition of the school, we are in the position of assigning the land to Badger Building of Lowestoft.

"We have negotiated with Badger Building for them to build, at no cost to us, a brand new community hall on approximately one quarter of the land. Badger would then be free to develop nineteen new homes on the remaining land.

"We anticipate that Badger Building will be on site by the end of this year, with the first spade in the ground early in 2023 and final completion by March 2024."

Planning permission for the new homes was approved by East Suffolk Council earlier this year.

Mr Crockett added: "The trustees are now engaged in planning fundraising activities in order to equip the interior of the hall, with grants being sought from a number of bodies including, amongst others, National Lottery funding.

"In order to have the hall functioning as a multi-use facility, we are looking to equip it with a fully equipped kitchen, a bar, committee and meeting rooms as well as a large hall which will have the potential to be sub-divided for a variety of social and sporting functions."

The project is part funded the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL), which is distributed by East Suffolk Council. In total, over £219,000 of CIL funding has been allocated to this scheme.