A major development that will increase a village's population by a third has been approved despite locals' pleas that it will add to the sewage and flooding woes they already face.
Breckland Council members heard how neighbours in the small village of Banham have faced repeated flooding incidents in the past six months and their concerns that the Anglian Water pumping station is struggling to cope.
But despite these concerns, councillors chose to give the green light to J Bunn Homes' proposal for a 43-home development on land off Kenninghall Road with additional community office space.
Norfolk County Council's flood experts (LLFA) and the Environment Agency (EA) have made no objections to the plans and are confident the mitigation measures proposed by the developers will not increase flood risk in the area.
But villagers paint a different picture.
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At a recent planning meeting, Councillor Stephen Askew spoke on behalf of the parish council and local objectors, highlighting the problems faced in the area.
It was reported that the Anglian Water pumping station repeatedly fails during heavy rain, suggesting the system is already struggling to cope.
"Events of biblical proportions you expect to see once in a lifetime are happening with worrying frequency," he told committee members.
"There is already a major problem in the village with insufficient sewage capacity. We need to ensure the developer and authorities work together to ensure this is improved."
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Despite the problems faced by locals, Anglian Water has said it is confident its system can cope with the additional homes.
A number of councillors questioned how this was assessed and called for the water company to consider upgrades to the system.
But officers reminded members that a decision on the proposal must be based on the statutory response from the likes of the EA and LLFA, who made no objections to the development.
Consultants working for the developer said they believe the drainage systems they plan to build will improve the issue of surface water flooding in the area.
The scheme was approved unanimously by councillors.
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