A concerned resident seeking to restore a Suffolk village pub has said locals 'just want their pub back' after the owner apparently lashed out on social media following a letter asking him to leave.

A message appeared on the Framlingham community Facebook page slamming the 'most grotesque witch hunt' to keep the Queen at Brandeston open with a photograph of a letter sent to Mr and Mrs Cunningham at the Queen, Brandeston, which read: "Open our pub or get out.'

Villager Andy Locke was named in the post but denied he had sent the letter when contacted by the EADT.

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Mr Cunningham has been seeking to convert the pub, which shut in 2022, into a home, but his plans have been refused by East Suffolk Council because of the detriment the change would pose to the community.

The plans sparked an impassioned response from the community, with the majority opposed to the closure of the pub.

The pub is also registered as an asset of community value (ACV), which places restrictions on development and gives the community the right to buy the property if it is listed for sale.

 

The letter that was sent to Mr CunninghamThe letter that was sent to Mr Cunningham (Image: Facebook)

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The Facebook post described the 'sorry change to society' that many pubs were unaffordable to support or crippling to run which had led to a 'prolonged demise of public houses,' saying these 'irreversible lifestyle changes were immune to nostalgia'.

It added: "The background to this story is one of a village minority that resents any change and with the parish council has conducted a most grotesque witch hunt employing any lie and corrupted story about the pub history, that East Suffolk Council has happily embraced in the planning refusal."

But Mr Locke disputed the post's claims and said other village pubs nearby were reopening and he believed Mr Cunningham had no intention of reopening the pub.

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He said: "We just want our pub back, that's all, so we can go there and enjoy each other's company and have a pint and a meal."

He added one of the reasons he moved to the village with his wife was because there was a pub 'within walking distance' of their cottage.

"If tomorrow, he put a kitchen back in or opened it up as a fully functioning pub, we would support it because that is what we want him to do," Mr Locke said.

Mr Cunningham has been approached for comment.

READ MORE: Framlingham news