Developer cuts back on Great Ellingham village hall promise

And for one Norfolk developer, its failure to sell luxury mansions that have been compared to Marmite have left a very bad taste.

All Saints Developments, which is behind a 154-home estate in Great Ellingham, has had to axe a pledge to build a village hall and cut back on promised NHS funding after it failed to gather interest in a selection of five-bedroom high-end homes.

The properties, which feature large glazed panels as part of a Scandinavian-style design, have proved deeply divisive, with the firm likening the bold architecture to Marmite, in that they provoke polarising opinions.

The style of the homes have proved divisive among prospective buyers (Image: Warners)

So poor was the response to the ambitious designs that three of the unsold 'Marmite mansions' have since been put on the rental market after failing to sell.

Other homes on the development have also proved similarly unpopular.

A range of four-bedroom homes with single garages have had to be redesigned after prospective rural buyers with more than one vehicle were put off.

The developer is now pursuing what it describes as a "more restrained" approach for the remainder of the site, pivoting toward a "bungalow revolution" aimed at meeting demand from an ageing local population.

The development includes a range of two, three, four and five-bedroom properties (Image: Warners)

But the redesign has come at a cost to the wider community.

Rather than deliver the promised 2,200 square metre community site off Hingham Road, the developer is now seeking permission to build nine new homes on the land originally set aside for a village hall. 

In its place, it is offering cash for Great Ellingham to build the village hall themselves - increasing its financial contribution from £368,000 to £568,000.

However this contribution falls short of the estimated £725,000 needed to construct the hall, which has forced the parish council and Breckland to find funding from other pledges originally included in the scheme.

Breckland has stripped a £55,200 contribution originally earmarked for the Queens Square Surgery in Attleborough, and has also removed £11,550 in library contributions.

The new properties are inspired by Scandinavian-style architecture (Image: Warners)

Great Ellingham Parish Council has backed the revised deal, however, concluding that cash is more practical than land, and the village already has sufficient green space at the recreation ground where a new hall could be built.

But not everyone is happy. 

One villager said: "The loss of the land for the village hall severely restricts what can be achieved. It is an important centre for the village, used by a considerable number of people, and desperately needs investment to improve its infrastructure and facilities."

Another view of the housing estate (Image: Google)

Others have raised concerns the revised layout is cramped and expressed disappointment at the loss of the land for the village.

As part of another application put forward by the developer, there are also plans to scrap 14 retirement homes previously reserved for over-55s - a restriction planning officers have labelled "discriminatory."

Breckland Council is under pressure to approve the changes, with its housing land supply standing at just 2.8 years, well below the five-year government requirement. 

Officers have recommended approval, and a decision is expected at the planning committee on Tuesday, March 24.