Plans for houses in a Broads village have been rejected despite local support for the scheme. 

A housing developer who has been fighting to build two homes in Horstead, a small village on the River Bure, has had his application rejected by Broadland District Council (BDC).

It also included additional tree planting and a new pedestrian footpath along Buxton Road.

The development was scaled back from a five-home scheme that was turned down in 2017 by the government's planning inspectorate.

Ahead of BDC's development committee meeting on Wednesday, planning officials called for the scheme to be rejected, arguing it was a development in the open countryside - where building should be avoided - and would impact the local landscape.

But the local parish council and a district councillor called for the committee to ignore its planning officials and approve the scheme.

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Campbell Jones, of Horstead with Stanninghall Parish Council, said they were united in support of the scheme.

Alan Browne, the applicant, is also a member of the parish council.

Mr Jones said: “While it is outside the village envelope, the district council has approved other nearby applications and this application would fit in with the area. 

“The public footpath included in the plans would be a great benefit to the village and improve pedestrian safety along this stretch of road.”  

He said it would help provide a “missing link” for circular walks in Horstead and improve access to a campsite opposite the proposed development. 

Jo Copplestone, the district councillor for Horstead, stressed the need for new housing in the village, arguing young people would not stay in the area without new homes.

But a planning officer said the reduction in the number of homes did not take away the "significant and demonstrable harm" that would be caused to the landscape.

The application was refused seven votes to three.