A community have rallied around a much-loved pub in Huntingdonshire after a planning application was submitted which could "destroy" the pub, one local said.

Plans have been submitted to Huntingdonshire District Council to build two new homes on the car park and gardens of The Cambridgeshire Hunter in Eynesbury, St Neots.

The application was submitted by Charles Wells Brewery, who are the landowners. They want to build one three-bedroom house and one four-bedroom house.

Building the homes would mean reconfiguring the pub's land, leaving The Cambridgeshire Hunter with a smaller car park and garden.

The plans have been met with resistance from St Neots locals, who fear that a reduced space could bring problems.

Writing in objection to the plans, one resident said that the application would be "detrimental" to the area due to already limited parking nearby.

Another said in their objection: "Please don't destroy this reborn pub. We need to back businesses in this current climate... not destroy them."

There are fears among residents that the loss of land at the pub would mean that community events won't be able to go ahead, like the annual Fire Engine Pull. 

The St Neots Fire Engine Pull sees a fire engine pulled by various teams to raise money for charity. The event begins at The Cambridgeshire Hunter, but people are now worried that it won't be able to take place if there is a smaller car park. 

One individual said in objection: "Big community events such as the Fire Engine Pull would be unable to take place at The Cambridgeshire Hunter because the fire truck would not be able to fit."

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Two Eynesbury councillors in the St Neots Independent Group on Huntingdonshire District Council - Councillors Simone Taylor and Ian Taylor - have written a leaflet objecting to the plans. 

The pair wrote: "We need people to respond to this outrageous planning application which will impact on this very popular business and community asset, and impact on the already stretched parking in the surrounding streets.

Councillor Simone Taylor is against the plans.Councillor Simone Taylor is against the plans. (Image: HDC)

"At a time when pubs are closing all over the country, this now thriving pub's ability to do business, by reducing its car park and garden by a significant amount, will harm its business."

St Neots residents then flooded Huntingdonshire District Council's planning portal with their comments, which saw the system temporarily crash over the weekend.

Cambridgeshire County Council's Archaeological team have no objections to the planning application, but they believe the site should be subject to an archaeological investigation as it sits closely to a known Roman settlement and a Saxon gully.

The district council has set an internal target date of August 29 for a decision.

Both The Cambridgeshire Hunter and the Charles Wells Brewery have been contacted for comment.