The owner of a "failed" rural pub has launched a fresh bid to turn it into a home.

Scott Smith notified West Norfolk Council he wanted to convert the Jolly Brewers at Shouldham Thorpe into a house in October.

But the council said he would need to make a full planning application before it could consider the change.

Mr Smith has now applied for permission to make the change.

The Campaign for Pubs objected to the previous bid to convert the jolly Brewers, which stands beside the main A134 near Downham Market.

It said the road was heavily used by holiday traffic in the summer, adding: "Any public house in this type of location should be able to convert travellers trade into a profitable business to augment the support it offers to the local community."

But in a fresh planning statement, Mr Smith says: "The fact it can only be accessed by car epitomises the reasoning behind its failure as a going concern."

He says the nearby village of Shouldham boasts a thriving community pub, the King's Arms, which locals would rather walk to than risk falling foul of drink driving laws.

"If I was a resident in this particular village, I would see little point in having to drive by car to reach the Jolly Brewers with a great hostelry within walking distance on my doorstep," he adds.

Mr Smith said the tenanted pub, previously owned by Admiral Taverns, closed in November 2022 but was put up for sale earlier that year.

He said it been on the market for two years and no interested parties had come forward to take it over as a going concern before he bought it.

An e-mail from Admiral described  the Jolly Brewers as "a large failed rural food site" and a low volume business, which sole just 37 barrels of beer during its best recent year's trading, in 2020.