Plans to transform empty land into a sports park and allotments in a village near Norwich have been given the green light.

Housing developers Persimmon and Taylor Wimpey have had plans to develop the empty land in Hethersett, close to a 1,000-home development, approved by the South Norfolk District Council.

The proposed site for the work will border Colney Lane, with the start of the Persimmon and Taylor Wimpey development on its western border.

The plans include a football pitch, allotments and a large woodlandThe plans include a football pitch, allotments and a large woodland (Image: Pegasus Group)

The plans include a huge sports park, a football pitch, allotments and car parking. 

The housing developers have also allotted space for a community pavilion, the building of which will be overseen by the Hethersett Parish Council.

Bike trails and footpaths will developed in the area, as well as a 'natural landform mounding'  amphitheatre built into the landscape. 

The site will straddle Harness Maker Way and border Colney LaneThe site will straddle Harness Maker Way and border Colney Lane (Image: Google)

A community orchard and woodland will be included at the site, complete with wildlife ponds. 

READ MORE: Worries about schools and GP practice persist as next phase of house building starts

The Pegasus Group, which is acting on behalf of the housing developers, said: "It will improve the quality of life and the wellbeing of the local community."

This closely follows the news that the housing firm will be spending hundreds of thousands of pounds to create new cycle and walking paths, as well as raising awareness of alternative travel options such as car sharing.

The plans will include a pavilion for community useThe plans will include a pavilion for community use (Image: Pegasus Group)

Currently, the huge site extends across arable fields, boarded on the eastern development boundary by hedges.

Outline permission was first granted for the site as part of an application for more than 1,100 homes in Hethersett in 2013. 

The park will be close to Heather GardensThe park will be close to Heather Gardens (Image: Google)

When the plans for the sports park were first submitted in June 2023, locals raised concerns about the area attracting anti-social behaviour - a thought echoed by a spokesman for Norfolk police. 

However, the plans have been approved, and work can start soon at the site.