A third major housing development plan for Aylsham, which was aiming to provide 250 homes and a possible filling station, should be turned down say council officials.

Norfolk Homes is looking to develop a site near the Aylsham Lodge hotel and the A140 roundabout, which also features a park, community land, and area for Scout and Guides along with £500,000 towards community schemes.

The company also says it will 'use all reasonable endeavours' to get a petrol station too - but with an option for the earmarked site to be put to community use if it did not come off within five years.

The scheme comes after two other big homes development have already been approved - for 250 homes and football pitches off Cawston road, and for 300 homes, with fitness centre and swimming pool extras, off Sir Williams Lane.

A report to Broadland District Council's planning committee next Wednesday is recommending refusal saying the town's sewerage system could not cope with what would be a total of 800 new homes. Anglian Water is adopting the former RAF Coltishall sewage works to cope with an extra 500 homes, but the Environment Agency says it would not be enough for all extra housing.

The scheme also went against planning policy, and the earlier housing schemes more than met the town's allocations for new homes in planning blueprints.

The report concludes that the Norfolk Homes scheme's 'adverse impacts' would 'significantly outweigh' any benefits and was unacceptable.

Thirteen people and a 90-strong petition had objected over concerns about sewerage, traffic, visual impact, the inability of services to cope, and that with no major employment in the area, new residents would have to commute elsewhere, including Norwich, to work.

Aylsham Town Council's comments included a feeling the developer should have come forward earlier and had 'missed he boat'.

Broadland officials say they tried to find ways to mitigate the problems in talks with the developers but it was 'not possible to identify a positive manner in which to proceed.'