Plans to re-open a historic Suffolk pub closed for more than two years have moved a step closer to fruition with an application for permission to begin renovation works.

The scheme for new windows and doors plus internal alterations to the first floor at The Swan in Little Waldingfield has been submitted to Babergh District Council.

Justin Nevison-Grainger, who owns the pub in The Street, bought the pub after it closed in 2017.

A report by architects Wincer Kievnaar said: "The Public House is currently closed and has been since early 2017 due to viability issues.

"The current owner and applicant wishes to carry out relevant refurbishment/repair works to the building to achieve a sustainable business.

"The current proposals respect the historic fabric of the building and include the demolition of later poor quality additions that detract from the original property."

The application is to replace all 28 windows at the property - most of them rotten or in a poor state - plus three external doors.

It seeks to add two new doors, one exiting the dining room at the rear of the building and the other exiting next to the bar, allowing access to the garden.

On the first floor the application seeks to block an existing internal door and create a new one to open up space.

The Swan is in the heart of Little Waldingfield and has been a pub for at least 200 years.

The central part of the building, including its oak timber frame and some of the brick work around a fireplace, date back to the 1500s.

However the current structure is now classed as a Grade II 18th century building with 19th and 20th century extensions, the most recent being from the early 1970s.

Planning permission to refurbish the building, including a new 'fit for purpose' kitchen and a new dining/function area - key to making the pub/restaurant a viable prospect commercially - was granted last August.

This includes converting an existing bathroom to become part of the kitchen.

A terraced area would be created to the rear of the dining room, with a new wooden fence being erected to enclose the pub garden.