Mulbarton parish councillors are fighting against proposals to build 180 new homes on the southern edge of their village, as the developers announce public consultations into their plans.

John Thompson and Partners (JTP), on behalf of Welbeck Land and Landform, will be hosting a community planning day at Mulbarton Village Hall on September 10, between 2pm and 6pm.

They hope to develop 13.7 ha (33.7 acres) of agricultural land to the east of Long Lane.

The event will provide visitors with an opportunity to take part in workshops to create a 'vision' for the site, which will then be presented to the community at the village hall on September 20. An official planning application is yet to be submitted.

But Peter Leigh, chairman of Mulbarton Parish Council, said the majority of residents were 'totally opposed' to large-scale development.

He added that a recent questionnaire by the parish council showed that 99.5pc of 100 households who responded, which represents about 240 residents, were against significant growth, and 97pc supported the view that any new housing should be built north of the village with its access to the B1113.

Mr Leigh accused the developers of trying to gain planning permission before South Norfolk Council completes its local development framework (LDF) and feared the proposals could be looked on favourably by officers as they identify plots for 1,800 new homes not yet allocated within the district.

He said: 'This gives us real, real concern. Mulbarton is classed as a service village according to the LDF so we should be getting about 20 houses, but we understand we may have to take on some more because of the need for land for these 1,800 homes. We're being pragmatic, we're not nimbys, but we don't think we need any more big developments.'

On the upcoming planning day, Charles Campion, from JTP, said: 'We hope that as many people as possible will come along to let us know their views and ideas to help us create a new vision for the future on this important site.'