Hopes are high that a major new retail development which was given the go-ahead this week will now help strengthen the case for an Attleborough relief road.

As reported, Banham Poultry's proposals, which went before Breckland's planning committee on Monday, will see a supermarket, a bulky goods store, a petrol station, offices, a family pub and a fast-food restaurant built on the former Gaymers cider factory site in Station Road, Attleborough.

As part of the plans, Banham Poultry's 700 staff who are based at the site will move to the firm's old home at Bunns Bank industrial park, a mile out of town.

During Monday's meeting, concerns about increased traffic problems were raised and it was heard how the development could lead to a 22.8pc reduction in trade in the town centre.

The development, which was granted outline planning permission, prompted fresh calls for a relief road to ease traffic through the market town which is poised for 4,000 extra homes.

Speaking at the meeting, Adrian Stasiak, Breckland councillor for Burgh and Haverscroft, said: 'The relocation of the poultry site is a massive plus for Attleborough and the fact that it safeguards more than 700 jobs is a massive boost for the town and Breckland as a whole.

'There are highways issues and hopefully this scheme will help to put more pressure on those who are supposed to deliver the relief road to actually deliver it. If Attleborough is to get 4,000 homes, the relief road is vital.'

The Banham development will be accessed by a new roundabout to be built in Station Road.

There are also plans to improve the junction of Station Road and Surrogate Street/Thieves Lane.

Meanwhile, David Higgins, principal engineer at Norfolk County Council, said that should the 4,000-home project happen, the county council is likely to recommend to the planning authority that a condition of planning approval is the provision of improved highway infrastructure.

But he said that the recommendation would be for the developer to fund the project and not the county council.