A town mayor has welcomed plans to turn a popular listed building into new café and B&B, but says she would like to see concerns around parking addressed.

An application to turn a Grade II listed property in Friars Street, Sudbury, into a café and four-bedroom bed and breakfast has been submitted to Babergh District Council. 

The property, situated on the corner where Friars Street meets Plough Lane, was once a former bakery and in more recent times was loved by people who walked by to see the doll houses in the windows. 

The applicants have said the café will be open for select hours for the bed and breakfast guests and parents/carers of children on the school run as well as nearby residents. 

East Anglian Daily Times: The building in Friars Street, SudburyThe building in Friars Street, Sudbury (Image: Google Maps)

If the plans are approved the commercial space on the ground floor would be converted into a café that doubles up as a breakfast space for the four bedrooms as part of the bed and breakfast. 

Jan Osborne, mayor of Sudbury, said of the proposals: "I always welcome B&Bs into the town as it encourages visitors to visit Sudbury and stay in the town.

"However I do have one concern, and that is the parking in this area.

"If this issue can be resolved and the renovation is sympathetic to the street scene and the building, then I welcome it." 

East Anglian Daily Times: Jan Osborne, Sudbury town mayorJan Osborne, Sudbury town mayor (Image: Sudbury Town Council)

The existing site provides off-street parking for two cars.

A proposed ground floor plan submitted to Babergh District Council shows two spaces would remain at the site, but would be moved to make them more easily accessible.

The new business would create jobs for a new housekeeper and coffee shop team. 

The café would use local bakers for supplies, though the applicant states they do not intend to offer cooked meals.