A former pub and Indian restaurant on the edge of Norwich has been put on the market for half a million pounds.

Norwich Evening News: The former Viking Pub on Tills Road. Photo: Liz ReynoldsThe former Viking Pub on Tills Road. Photo: Liz Reynolds

The former Viking Pub and Royal Bengal Indian restaurant, on Tills Road in Sprowston, which is off North Walsham Road, has been listed for sale for £500,000.

Its sellers say the building could either have a future in commercial or residential use.

The pub closed in 2007, but became a magnet for antisocial behaviour while it was shut, with its windows being smashed.

It led to calls a year later for Broadland District Council to intervene, and a notice was served allowing the council to board the property up.

Norwich Evening News: The Royal Bengal. Photo: Peter WalshThe Royal Bengal. Photo: Peter Walsh

It was in 2010 that a bid was lodged by Sazu Miah to turn the pub into an Indian restaurant, leading to the start of a new chapter as the Royal Bengal, which traded until the middle of last year before closing.

On Wednesday afternoon, people living near the building had mixed thoughts on what they would like to see for its future.

One man, who moved into the area last summer, said while he welcomed the idea of having a pub just across the road, he would be cautious about issues around antisocial behaviour and crime and would prefer to see it become another restaurant.

And another woman, who has lived near the restaurant for the last eight years, was confidently against the idea of the building reopening as a pub.

She said she had seen work ongoing inside the building in recent weeks.

"It's a quiet area around here and we have no problems with crime," she said. "I wouldn't want to see it become a pub."

But a man living a few houses down disagreed, saying he thought a new pub would bring the community closer together.

According to the Norfolk Pubs website, the Viking was first built in 1956 and licensed a year later.

It closed sometime after and reopened in November 1995 after refurbishment by its then-owner, builder John Mann.

It was boarded up and closed for roughly three months before opening again in August 1999, when it continued trading until 2007.