The landlord of the Grade 2 Listed Three Tuns PH, Earsham Street, Bungay, Suffolk was fined £7,000 with £1,391 costs at Ipswich Crown Court on 5 October for unauthorised removal of masonry from the cellar. The Three Tuns is Bungay’s oldest hotel dating back to c.1540 and one cellar incorporates walls thought to be part of the original structure of Bungay Castle. The defendant had pleaded guilty at Lowestoft Magistrates Court in August but the case was remitted to the Crown Court for sentencing.
Judge Peter Fenn described the defendant as someone who had “bungled” his way through in an area where he was out of his depth – as opposed to a commercial organisation deliberately breaking the law to maximise profit. The defendant, who had bought the property in November 2008, claimed he did not know the building was Listed but the judge said that he had not made appropriate enquiries before starting work and could have been more cooperative with officers of Waveney District Council when the work came to light. The defendant has since sold the building but was advised by the judge to stick to tenanted or rented premises in future.
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