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A former Haverhill pub is on the market for development as housing or as a restaurant.

The Australian Arms, which has been closed for a few years, was the subject of a recent planning application which was withdrawn by its current owners, Greene King brewery, before it came to decision.

Now it is for sale, marketed with Savills as two lots, to be sold separately or together.

Lot One is described as 'Restaurant/development opportunity', which is the pub building itself, and Lot Two as 'Development opportunity', which is the 0.38-acre car park and garden.

The brewery had submitted plans earlier this year to convert and develop the site for housing, along with supporting statements concerning the loss of the pub, the need for new housing and issues of established trees on the site.

Haverhill Town Council objected to the loss of trees which, it said, were classed by the applicants themselves as 'making a significant contribution to the amenity of the area'.

The proposal for the site, described as 48-50 Hamlet Road was considered to provide 'an
opportunity to enhance the character and appearance of the street scene along this
section of Hamlet Road', the supporting statement said.

Regarding the closure of the pub, the statement said: "The loss of the former Australian Arms public house will not impact on the local community or those economically or physically disadvantaged as there are a number of alternative facilities both within walking distance and accessible by public transport from the application site."

The former pub had long been considered the only one of that name in the country, although one of our readers has recently drawn our attention to one of the same name in Ramsgate.