Groundworks have started at a derelict pub near Great Yarmouth which will soon be the site of new homes. 

New owners have taken over the long-closed First and Last pub in Ormesby and it is believed work has begun in converting the site into a home, with four new builds alongside it.

The director of the site's previous owner - Yare Properties Ltd - confirmed a sale took place last month.

Ground is being cleared at the site of the derelict First and Last pub.Ground is being cleared at the site of the derelict First and Last pub. (Image: James Weeds) Since closing for good more than a decade ago, the 18th-century building has seen various bids for housing, including a rejected proposal to knock it down to create space for ten homes in 2015.

The pub site suffered an arson attack in 2019.

The First and Last in 2009.The First and Last in 2009. (Image: Google) Its fate was finally decided in 2022 when councillors granted permission for the building to be converted into a home with two four-bedroom detached houses and two three-bedroom semi-detached homes built next to the converted pub.

Ahead of the proposal, a committee report by council officers welcomed re-using the pub building in a prominent location and converting brownfield land.

The report also included a submission from the applicant blaming the closure of Pontins in Hemsby for the pub's demise.