A property developer is looking to water down the legal conditions relating to a former pub in Glastonbury.

Mendip District Council granted planning permission in 2017 to turn Ye Queen's Head pub at 84 High Street into a nine-bedroom motel with two holiday lets to the rear.

Applicant David Foley, of Belgravia Property Sourcing, has now asked the council to reduce legal conditions regarding possible contamination of the site, which would allow work to begin on converting the property.

The council's officers have indicated they could keep a "watching brief" over the site going forward.

The property is currently being used by The Wonky Broomstick, which sells witchcraft-themed accessories.

Under the planning permission granted in 2017, work to convert the pub into a motel cannot start until the applicant and the council have agreed steps to deal with any contamination of the site.

A spokesman said: "An investigation and assessment must identify the extent of contamination and the measures to be taken to avoid risk to the environment, human health and/or public safety when the site is developed.

"The council needs to ensure that ground conditions have been investigated and, where necessary, re-mediated before development commences to prevent it from contributing to, being put at unacceptable risk from, or being adversely affected by unacceptable levels of pollution."

Mr Foley said that the council's concerns related to the private gardens to the site of the site, and claimed he had laid these fears to rest at a site visit conducted in late-February.

He said: "The officer was satisfied that the private gardens will remain in situ.

"Following her further investigations into the neighbouring site to the west of this one, a watching brief is more than satisfactory."

Sarana Osman, the council's contaminated land officer, said: "It would be advisable to keep a watching brief for potential hotspots of contamination and assess for visual/olfactory evidence of contamination during any groundwork.

"If any unforeseen contamination is found during excavations, our environmental health team must be notified immediately.

"This may include obvious visual or olfactory residues, asbestos (including asbestos-containing materials such as roofing), buried drums, drains, interceptors, additional fuel storage tanks or any other unexpected hazards."

The council is expected to make a final decision on the plans before the end of the year.