170 home plan for Norfolk Broads village makes progress

Developer Hopkins Homes is looking to build dozens of properties in Brundall on a 21-acre site – roughly 11 football pitches – of land east of Memorial Hall on Links Avenue. 

Development on the site was approved in November 2020 but with full details for only 23 of the homes.  

Now the developer has submitted a 'reserved matters' application to Broadland District Council (BDC), setting out final details relating to landscaping, layout and scale for the remaining 147 properties. 

The properties will be a mix of sizes, ranging from one-bed apartments to four-bed homes. 

Of them, 48 – 33pc – will be classed as affordable.

The development will also bring new pedestrian and cycle access as well as open spaces. 

The scheme proved controversial when it was first lodged, with the plans initially rejected by BDC in 2019 following a fierce opposition campaign.

A petition organised by a Brundall community group attracted 750 signatures, with locals arguing the village would be unable to cope with the additional homes. 

Locals cheered when the scheme was initially rejected (Image: Archant)

But planning inspector Zoe Raygen disagreed, overturning the council’s decision in 2020. 

A planning statement submitted to BDC said the broad principle of the development was agreed under the previous planning permission. 

It said: “An opportunity has been taken to provide a development which responds well to the specific circumstances of the locality, representing an excellent response to the need for further housing, which maximises the positive aspects of the site’s location, fully integrating and actively enhancing the character and appearance of the surroundings in which it would sit. 

“The proposed development is fully representative of the quality and content of developments which are encouraged by government through the modern planning system.”