Plans to build a block of flats behind a historic Stowmarket pub have been rejected due to a lack of information about flood risk.

Designs for a new block of six flats to go in the car park of the Kings Arms in Station Road were submitted in September after the retirement of the long-standing landlady was announced.

The pub, which was built in 1910 and sits next to the Stowmarket Train Station car park, finally closed its doors in October.

The application, submitted to Mid Suffolk District Council, says that six, one-bed flats will be built on the car park.

There will be no alteration to the image of the existing building’s exterior, and the new building will not be able to be seen from the street.

The plans, submitted by Icon Architects said that the new flats will provide “limited but positive social implications” by delivering additional homes in a sustainable location.

However, council officers rejected the designs due to a lack of information about the risk of flooding.

The flats are located in flooding zone 2, which means that the site has been shown to have between 0.1% – 1% chance of flooding from rivers in any year, according to the Environment Agency.

Before a development can be built on flood risk 2 land, a sequential test has to be carried out and council officers were forced to reject the plans due to the lack of this information.

The application may well be resubmitted in the coming months if a flood risk test is carried out.