A proposal to build three new homes at Whissonsett, near Fakenham, has been knocked back by a national planning inspector.

Breckland Council had, in December 2021, rejected the scheme for the three self-build houses to be built next to the junction between Raynham Road and Mill Lane.

An appeal was then lodged with the Planning Inspectorate, but in a decision notice issued on December 15, the organisation said it agreed with the council. 

While the inspector acknowledged there was “an inherent benefit from the delivery of additional housing, and there would also be an economic benefit from their construction”, they said those advantages were outweighed by the fact that the proposal conflicted with Breckland’s ‘local plan’ - a document which sets out what kind of development should be allowed in the district. 

They said the scheme as proposed would “not have an acceptable effect on the character and appearance of the surrounding area" and would result in the loss of a “distinctive gap in the street scene” of the village.