Plans for 100 new homes in a small village near Downham Market could be approved next week.

Eastern Daily Press: The former storage facility at Stoke Ferry, where 30 homes will be built Picture: GoogleThe former storage facility at Stoke Ferry, where 30 homes will be built Picture: Google (Image: Archant)

Plans for 100 new homes in a small village near Downham Market could be approved next week.

As many as 30 of the houses in Stoke Ferry are set to be built on Furlong Drove, with a further 70 to be built on the former site of a mill south-west of Lynn Road.

Two separate planning applications have been made for the homes, with councillors recommended to approve both as long as an section 106 agreement, which ensures the dwellings will be affordable housing, is reached within four months of approval.

There had been concerns from some members of the planning committee that the Furlong Drove site would be developed first, leaving the mill site undeveloped.

Stoke Ferry Parish Council, which objected to both proposals, said leaving the main mill building would mean it would be left as a "derelict eyesore". It also complained that the site on Furlong Drove was not designated as an area for housing and would encroach on the nearby by-pass.

For the mill site the parish council said the public consultation for the work was flawed and that it would result in the village losing its post office and potentially a public footpath.

Public Rights of Way said it had no objection to the plans as it said the footpath had been retained and incorporated into the design, while the conservation officer said they supported the plans as all of its concerns had been addressed.

Following public meetings and protests in the village centre on July 29, there were also a number of objections from the public, including 19 people who believed building work should only take place on the mill site, 18 who said the new housing would put a strain on amenities and 12 who felt the "sites would lead to the loss of the village's character.

Among other public representations, 17 people reaffirmed the parish council's concerns that the mill would be left standing, with a further 15 expressing concern over the public footpath.

There was no objection for either plan from Community Safety and the Local Flood Authority, the Environment Agency and Anglia Water among others.

West Norfolk Council's planning committee will make a decision when it meets at King's Lynn Town Hall at 10.15pm on Monday September 7.