The future of a St Neots pub which has stood empty for years still looks uncertain.

Dennis Whitfield planned to turn the Grade II-listed Old Falcon, in the Market Square, into a shopping complex with restaurants, bars, and flats after he bought it for £1million back in 2005. He wanted to demolish a 19th century boathouse at the back of the building but Huntingdonshire District Council said it would only allow it if a riverside walkway was open for people to use.

Mr Whitfield said: “My son has taken over trying to do something with it.

“We were going to sell it but we haven’t had any offers we felt were sufficiently good, so we might get round to doing it ourselves again.”