Proposals for up to 3,520 houses on farmland north of Norwich are too big in scale, will be built too quickly and in the wrong place, councillors heard last night.

%image(15003464, type="article-full", alt="Sprowston residents against " Beyond Green " development proposals for agricultural land between North Walsham Road and Wroxham Road meeting at and walking Church Lane to express their dissatisfaction with the proposals. Photo: Steve Adams")

But Sprowston Town Council neither supported nor objected to Beyond Green's plans for a new community on 207.4 hectares north of Sprowston and Old Catton.

%image(15003465, type="article-full", alt="Sprowston residents against " Beyond Green " development proposals for agricultural land between North Walsham Road and Wroxham Road meeting at and walking Church Lane to express their dissatisfaction with the proposals. Photo: Steve Adams")

Instead the authority decided to draw up a list of comments for Broadland District Council, which will make a final decision on the project, to try to influence any future development.

%image(15003466, type="article-full", alt="An artist's impression of Beyond Green's proposal for North Sprowston and Old Catton")

Sprowston residents last night voiced their concerns and asked for the development to be opposed.

Barry Walsh, of Church Lane, said there were 200 properties in the Blue Boar Lane with planning permission, along with a further 800 houses at White House Farm. He said: 'That's 1,000 homes. You put them on top of Beyond Green's and you have 4,500. If you have an average of three or four people per property are we not talking about the potential doubling of Sprowston's population?'

The meeting heard the population was currently about 16,000.

Beyond Green's outline masterplan for North Sprowston and Old Catton includes changes to roads, buses, plus new primary/nursery schools, community facilities and businesses.

Opening up land at Beeston Hall for a new country park is also part of the 82.5 hectares earmarked for green space. It is stated the properties will house about 7,500 people.

Sprowston Town Council's comments include questioning the location of recreational land, route of a link road and the opening of Beeston Park before any development takes place.

They added the amount of space for community facilities was not sufficient.