THE former Southwold Press building should remain available for light industrial use, town councillors agreed.Southwold Town Council's policy and finance committee backed the views expressed in a letter from Adnams Brewery, whose premises in the town interlock with the building, that a plan to convert it to residential use was an unacceptable change.

THE former Southwold Press building should remain available for light industrial use, town councillors agreed.

Southwold Town Council's policy and finance committee backed the views expressed in a letter from Adnams Brewery, whose premises in the town interlock with the building, that a plan to convert it to residential use was an unacceptable change.

The brewery said the scheme would give rise to continuous problems because of its closeness to a working brewery.

It would be impossible to avoid the impact of noise and other working impacts on residents who lived there, added Adnams.

"We could not switch off a pump because people want quiet in the evening," the company said in a letter.

"We are the town's largest employer and we appreciate our good links with the community. This plan would only give rise to ongoing future conflict. It would be a grave mistake and an unjustified change of use and would flout planning guidelines."

The plan proposes converting the building to a ground floor flat and first floor premises, which could be a self-contained flat. It would also involve demolishing outbuildings.

A plan to convert part of the former Eversley School in Southwold into five homes also failed to find favour with the committee, which decided to recommend the plan should be refused because of concerns over lack of parking.

It also recommended refusal of a plan for a six-metre-high radio aerial and floodlighting at the new sewage pumping station in Blyth Road in Southwold.

n Piling work at the site of the Stella Peskett New Millennium Hall in Southwold is due to begin today. It was to have started last week, but the company doing the work had to postpone it.

The Millennium Foundation has already sent a letter to residents living nearby warning the piling would be noisy and apologising for the inconvenience.

Once the piling has been finished, work on the foundations of the £400,000 hall will start.