Plans for dozens of homes on the outskirts of Norwich have been rejected by officials, four years after they were first lodged.

The 32-home scheme in Cringleford has been blocked by South Norfolk Council’s (SNC) planning officers.  

The application site is an undeveloped parcel of land on the junction of Colney Lane and Roundhouse Way, next to the UEA’s wildlife trail car park. 

Norwich Evening News: The Colney Lane site next to the UEA's wildlife trail car parkThe Colney Lane site next to the UEA's wildlife trail car park (Image: Google)

The village has seen significant development in recent years with plans in place for more than 1,300 homes and a new 420-place primary school, making the community one of the fastest-growing areas in Norfolk.

Just last month 51 more homes were approved for a patch of land in Cringleford on the other side of A11. 

The now-rejected 32-home application was first submitted in 2019.

It followed a previous bid for 35 properties on the Colney Lane land, which was turned down the year before. 

It was hoped the revised, smaller plans would address the concerns raised about the previous scheme. 

But in a decision notice setting out the reasons why the latest plans were rejected, SNC officers raised a series of issues, including that the project was out of character with the area.

They said: “By virtue of the density and layout of the proposed development in comparison to the adjacent low-density existing housing along Colney Lane, the proposal is considered to be out of character with the existing settlement and would result in a detrimental impact to the Colney Lane facing street scene.”

They also said the development would have a “significant effect” on the surrounding special area of conservation, which has extra protection from construction.

“There is a requirement for additional information to be submitted to further assess the effects and determine the level of mitigation required," they said. 

“No such information has been provided with the application.”