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Landlady backs alcohol ban over hotel concerns

Aimee Dexter
News imageAimee Dexter/BBC Sarah Godsoe is in the middle. She has short brown hair and is wearing a black jumper. She is stood in front of the outside of a pub. Aimee Dexter/BBC
Sarah Godsoe said she was worried the impact anti-social behaviour was having on tourism in the town

A pub landlady has backed a Norfolk council's proposal to bring in an alcohol ban amid rising concerns about anti-social behaviour.

Members of Breckland Council's cabinet unanimously approved a six-week consultation into introducing a public spaces protection order (PSPO) in Dereham.

Sarah Godsoe, who runs the Cherry Tree, next to the hotel, said anti-social behaviour had caused issues for the pub and asked the council to look at the impact it had on tourism.

Tristan Ashby, executive member for health and communities, said during a special meeting on Monday that the authority would use the consultation period to decide if it would implement a PSPO and the boundaries of it.

News imageAimee Dexter/BBC A bricked building is on the left. It is three storeys, and has white windows and a black door in the middle. A cobblestone wall goes around the front of the building which is on a road. Aimee Dexter/BBC
The NR19 Hotel is near the town's market place

The move comes after around 250 residents and businesses called a meeting in relation to the NR19 Hotel, which is being used for temporary accommodation.

Anti-social behaviour connected to the NR19 Hotel was first discussed at a Dereham Town Council meeting on 11 November.

A previous Freedom of Information (FOI) request to Norfolk Police revealed that between January 2020 and September 2025 91 calls were made to the hotel.

Of those 47 related to concerns for safety and 44 were about violence against a person.

Ms Godsoe, 41, said she wanted the council to look particularly at the impact NR19 is having on the town.

"I understand that they have a duty of care for people, and everyone needs a place to stay... but it is having a wider impact on a lot more people and businesses," she said.

News imageAimee Dexter/BBC Tristan Ashby is stood in the middle of the image. He has short brown hair and is wearing a pink shirt and a navy tie and suit jacket. Behind him is a mural of a house and windmill. Aimee Dexter/BBC
Tristan Ashby, executive member for health and communities at Breckland, said the consultation would help the council decide if a PSPO was necessary

Ashby stressed that the PSPO discussion was not solely about the hotel but concerned the entire town.

"It's about engaging with people who might be suffering with alcoholism, that might be homeless, and ensuring they get the necessary support," he said. "We are not just moving a problem from one area to another, but we are actually dealing with he problem."

He said the council would do "everything [it] possibly can" to keep residents safe.

News imageClare Worden / BBC Ian Milligan looks directly at the camera. He is wearing a black leather jacket, has glasses on and has a white beard. He is standing on a pavement outside a Georgian red-brick building, with 11 sash windows to its front and a blue door. The sky is clear blue. Clare Worden / BBC
Ian Milligan said people being housed in NR19 were living in an "environment which is unsatisfactory"

Ian Milligan, 57, who organised the 3 December meeting at the football club, said he was pleased the PSPO proposal was moving forward, but felt it was the "tip of the iceberg" and people living at NR19 "need support".

Insp Simon Jones, from Norfolk Police, said: "We will always welcome any proposals that can help us and partners such as Breckland Council to tackle these issues."

He added the force was "aware" of concerns around anti-social behaviour and was continuing town centre patrols.

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