Dabbling Duck pub loved by Royals wins car park planning bid

The Dabbling Duck in Great Massingham, a countryside watering hole renowned for hosting royalty and A-listers for cosy Sunday lunches, has been locked in a planning war with locals for years.

As its popularity has soared, villagers have complained that cars have overpopulated its narrow lanes and spilled onto its picturesque village green.

The Prince and Princess of Wales are among the pub's famous visitors (Image: PA)

To ease concerns, the pub began using a neighbouring field as an overspill car park - which did little to extinguish the heated rift.

Dozens of locals fear the makeshift car park is an eyesore and a dangerous fire hazard, particularly in summer months when temperatures surge.

The latest and perhaps final showdown arrived this week, when the pub was forced to reapply for permission to use the car parks despite initially receiving the green light in July last year, after design errors were found in the site boundary.

More than 15 objections were launched to the latest bid, in what has been refereed to as a "Groundhog Day" saga.

Linda Swallows told West Norfolk Council's planning committee that the owners, Mark and Sally Dobby, had repeatedly failed their "duty of care and compliance".

She said: "This does not solve the village parking problem. It creates harm, loss of residential amenity, late-night disturbance, and increased fire and crime risks.

"Residents should not be expected to mitigate harm caused by the applicant."

The gate to the overflow car park (Image: Chris Bishop)

Cars parked on the village green (Image: Owen Sennitt)

Others have raised concerns about bright headlights and loud engine noises in the early hours of the morning and worries that hot exhausts or discarded cigarettes could ignite dry grass and nearby crops.

The pub, which also rents out rooms, has proved popular with a range of famous figures in recent years.

The Prince and Princess of Wales have visited for lunch, while business tycoon Sir Alan Sugar and TV weather presenter Lucy Verasamy are also said to be fans.

Alistair Beales, who supported the plans for the car park, did concede that the issue was negatively affecting "people's day-to-day enjoyment of where they live".

An AI-generated image of how the car park could look once hedgerows grow in (Image: West Norfolk Council)

Despite the concerns, councillors unanimously approved the plans.

The parish council have also been supportive of the scheme as it stops people parking on the village green and reduces congestion.

As part of the approved designs, the pub's owners have been ordered to plant evergreen hedges and a two-metre fire break around the enlarged 35-space site.