People will be able to have their say on updated plans for where 1,200 homes could be built in Norfolk villages. 

South Norfolk Council (SNC) is launching a public consultation this month on fresh plans for where houses should be built in a range of rural communities between now and 2038 after new sites were proposed. 

In total, 48 villages have been included in the South Norfolk Village Clusters Housing Allocations Plan (VCHAP), including Brooke, Pulham St Mary and Woodton, which will see some of the largest number of new homes. 

But sites in Rockland St Mary and Tasburgh had to be cut or reduced in size, bringing the VCHAP under the required 1,200 homes. A fresh consultation must now be held for newly proposed or expanded areas. 

The changes are: 

  • A new site for 30 homes in Barford.
  • Five existing sites – in Ditchingham, Spooner Row, Wicklewood, Gillingham and Swardeston - could be expanded. The increases range from five to 20 properties.
  • Five previously shortlisted sites – which did not progress in earlier stages of the VCHAP - will be reconsidered. These are in Alpington, Barford, Barnham Broom, Broome and Earsham.

Addressing a recent cabinet meeting, John Fuller, leader of SNC, said: “Although it is uncomfortable for a number of communities to have more uncertainty about dwelling sites in their villages, we are going to consult on 13. 

“We are unlikely to need more than a small handful to meet the numbers. 

“With the benefit of hindsight, there wasn’t enough slack [in the numbers] to allow for things to fall out.  

“It’s a shame to go another time round the block but I think it is a necessary evil, it’s right that we do in the interest of full transparency.” 

The cabinet agreed to launch the consultation on December 11. It will run until February 5, 2024.