The development management committee at Great Yarmouth Borough Council has approved an application to vary existing planning permission for restoring the Iron Duke, on Jellicoe Road, to reflect a series of design changes.

The pub, which has stood empty since 2008, is being restored as a ground‑floor bar and restaurant with two self‑contained holiday lets above.

The changes include swapping a spiral staircase for a standard staircase, dropping raised brick planters, scaling back hedging and replacing a proposed resin‑bound car park surface with tarmac.

How the Iron Duke in Great Yarmouth could look after its £2.5m restoration project. (Image: Great Yarmouth Preservation Trust)

A report prepared by planners shows there was debate over how to accommodate modern ventilation equipment and new windows without harming the landmark’s character.

Earlier proposals to mount equipment on the roof were deemed unacceptably harmful to the listed building.

The kit will now be pushed into the rear service yard and screened by a higher boundary wall – a solution officers say causes a “low‑moderate” level of “less than substantial harm”.

The Iron Duke in Great Yarmouth will be restored and reopened in summer 2026. (Image: Great Yarmouth Preservation Trust)

The revisions come after the Great Yarmouth Preservation Trust (GYPT), which owns the building, had to make savings following a full tender process carried out under National Lottery rules.

The lowest bid came in above the original cost estimates, “mostly due to inflation”.

A digital image of how the Iron Duke in Great Yarmouth could appear after restoration. (Image: Great Yarmouth Preservation Trust)

In a report prepared ahead of the meeting, officers say the £2.5m project “has gone over budget” and that GYPT has carried out a value‑engineering exercise to keep it viable.

The final phase of the restoration began on March 2, with the venue expected to reopen by late summer this year.

© Eastern Daily Press