FOLK Café in Fornham St Martin, near Bury St Edmunds, given go-ahead for expansion works

A popular Suffolk café has been given the go-ahead to undergo an expansion that would create 15 new jobs.

FOLK Café, in Fornham St Martin, near Bury St Edmunds, submitted plans to extend their current premises in August last year.

The extension to the front and side of the café will allow for a flexible function space to be created, as well as 12 extra tables and further car parking spaces.

The function space would allow for the private events to take place two to three times a month, and give the business greater flexibility in its growth.

As part of the proposals, opening hours for the café would remain the same, with new event hours between 5pm and midnight to be implemented.

An extra 15 jobs will also be created, increasing the number of staff from 25 to 40.

The plans received huge swathes of positive support on the West Suffolk Council planning portal.

"It's so nice. I am planning on writing personally to all of those people who wrote such lovely things," said Ali Barker, who owns the café.

"We put some postcards around the café just to share the plans with customers, but I didn't expect so many people to actually comment."