Plans to build 179 new homes in a north Norfolk village have been met with concern.
Lincolnshire-based developer Scenic Homes has outlined plans to build 179 properties in Briston, near Holt, which would see the village’s population increase by 15pc.
The development is earmarked for land to the south and west of Astley Primary School, in Fakenham Road, with plans for a brand-new link road.
Briston has a population of around 2,500 and is expected to see around 375 more people move into the village if the development goes ahead.
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North Norfolk District Council (NNDC) has also raised concerns over the provision for affordable housing being offered by the developer.
Under the current Local Plan, 25pc of the houses built in any new development must be below market prices to help ease north Norfolk’s housing crisis.
However, the council has said Scenic Homes will only provide 15pc – in line with the provision outlined in the new Local Plan, which will come into effect within the next 12 months.
The homes will be built on open land as well as across two nearby sites designated for development under the current Local Plan.
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Councillor Andrew Brown, portfolio holder for planning and enforcement at NNDC, who had attended a planning meeting with representatives from Scenic Homes, said: “There is concern amongst people in Briston that 85pc of the homes built will not be affordable and at the open market rate.
“There will be less opportunity for local people, and it will become harder to prevent the houses from becoming second homes.”
Duncan Baker, MP for North Norfolk, who also attended the meeting, said: “Briston is a rural, close-knit community. This proposal will be years of building work in the village and totally change its unique character.
“Above all, the local roads will see hundreds of additional cars with so many homes. It is total overdevelopment for the site, and I have immediately urged the developer to go back to the drawing board with some far more sensible plans that will be met with public approval.”
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