A parish council chair said she hoped a landmark ruling against converting the village pub into a home will mean other "Suffolk pubs will be supported."
A planning inspector has rejected an appeal by Mark Cunningham, who owns The Queen at Brandeston, against an East Suffolk Council decision to refuse him permission to change the use of the pub.
In his decision, the inspector rejected Mr Cunningham's claim that the pub was not a viable business and that a marketing exercise carried out by The Queen's previous owners had identified a need for a pub.
'Concern and disappointment' as Queen pub at Brandeston still closed
She also highlighted the fact that the pub had not been reopened since being bought by the present owners in June 2023 "so there has been no opportunity for the local community to support the current use".
Meanwhile, The Queen received Asset of Community Value (ACV) status in 2022, which provides protections from redevelopment and gives the community the opportunity to buy the pub.
The inspector said "interested parties" had identified an appetite within the community to buy the pub at the time, while it was being marketed by the previous owners.
But this was never pursued as Mr Cunningham's offer had been made and accepted for the premises as a pub.
The community was subsequently offered the chance to rent the pub, which closed in November 2022, by the current owner, but the inspector said the terms and conditions "would not have been achievable" for a community-run group.
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In conclusion, the inspector said: "I find that it has not been demonstrated that there is no longer a community need for the public house.
"I am not satisfied, based on the evidence before me, that it has been demonstrated that the use as a public house is unviable now or that it would be in the longer term."
Following the decision, Rachel Summers, chair of Brandeston Parish Council, said the inspector's decision was what the council had anticipated.
"The planning policy and guidelines protect ACVs, particularly those which are financially viable and the Cunninghams bought the property, which was on the market as a pub and they bought it as a pub," she said.
She added the owners had never opened the premises as a pub, therefore could not demonstrate whether or not it was viable.
"If the appeal was not dismissed, anybody could buy a pub and decide it was not financially viable and that is why this is the right decision, not just for Brandeston, but everywhere.
"It is good news for all ACVs in Suffolk," she added.
READ MORE Plans to turn Brandeston Queen pub into home refused
The district council has also taken enforcement action against Mr Cunningham to stop the premises being used as a home and he has been given until May to restore the pub.
More than 250 members of the public had opposed his plans to change the use of the pub to a home.
Reacting to the decision, Mr Cunningham said: "When the Queen reopens, we are going to adopt the suggestion by parish chair Rachel Summers, who stated at the appeal hearing, 'you don't need a licence to run a pub' so we have taken this on board and will only offer 0 -.05 ABV beer and wine.
"There will be no food offering at this time. We welcome seeing the people who supported 'us' in the planning application, the appeal and social media."
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