A village has voted unanimously to start a campaign to buy and save its threatened pub from closure and redevelopment.

At the end of March 2017 the current owners of the Cross keys pub in Redgrave approached the local community with the offer of selling the pub to the village as a community asset.

The pub, which is currently still open and trading has been offered to the community for the sum of £300,000.

Following a survey of village support for raising the money to acquire the pub, a village meeting held on Monday, May 22.

The local community were asked whether they supported the proposal that a legal entity be formed with the objective of raising the funds to buy the The Cross Keys pub as community venture.

The overwhelming response to the question was yes.

Following the vote 'An Expression of Interest to Bid' was sent to Mid Suffolk District Council triggering a six month moratorium on the building, preventing the pub from being sold elsewhere and allowing villagers time to fund raise.

The community are seeking the help and advice of the Plunkett Foundation and the charitable organisation the 'Pub is the Hub'.

However, if they are unable to raise the necessary funds, the pub will close and three dwellings for which planning permission has already been granted will be developed on the land behind the pub which is currently used as the pub car park.

Ian Brown, Chair of the Steering Committee, explained; 'When the last pub in a village closes, a part of the village dies with it and this is the last thing we want.

'The plan is to buy and refurbish the Cross Keys turning it back into a family-friendly, community pub serving good ales, wines and delicious value-for-money pub grub.'

Fiona Kenworthy, a resident of Redgrave said the community hopes to raise the necessary funds through applying for grants, crowd funding and selling shares in the business.

The current landlord of the Cross Keys pub, Peter Ceresa who will be leaving the business to open a shop in Lowestoft said: 'I hope the community are able to raise the money because it will be nice to see the village own their own pub'.