Norwich: Plans for 51 Newton St Faith homes delayed

Plans to build the new housing estate on disused grazing land to the east of Manor Road in Newton St Faith were announced in April, but have faced significant criticism from those living nearby and the village's parish council.

Objecting to the plans, Newton St Faith Parish Council said plans were "excessive and totally unacceptable" after developers Bright Future Developments St Faiths Ltd had previously been granted permission to build 19 new homes on the site.

They said the site would cause a loss of amenities to villagers, particularly those living in nearby Newton Street, with doctors and schools stretched as it is.

Manor Road in Newton St Faith where the homes will be built (Image: Newsquest)

Broadland District Council was expected to make a decision on whether or not to approve plans today, however it is still pending consideration after the council's chief flood risk officer, Lewis Chappell, raised concerns.

In a letter to the council he said he was "not satisfied" the developer had submitted a strong plan for drainage and mitigating flood risk.

An artist's impression of the development (Image: Broadland District Council)

He said plans only included one option for how drainage would work rather than the two his department expected and said the discharge via infiltration method proposed not likely to be the best option for the site.

Disused land which will make up the development (Image: Newsquest)

Mr Chappell said: "We respect that the submitted information at this stage is likely to be preliminary, but issues of drainage viability are significant and must be addressed appropriately at these early stages of planning to avoid future issues."

He said the flood authority objected to the plans in the absence of an acceptable flood risk assessment and drainage plan adding the developer had submitted "insufficient information".

It is now not known when a decision on the homes will be made.