Plans to establish a residential care home in Attleborough for people with learning disabilities have been given the go ahead.

The proposals have attracted a great deal of interest from the public and polarised opinions in the town.

Breckland Council received 47 letters from people supporting the project and 48 letters from opponents.

EW Becker and Son Properties Ltd sought permission for the change of use of 7 Endenside Drive, from a detached chalet bungalow, along with use of a recently constructed building to the rear.

The council's planning committee granted planning permission on Monday.

District councillor Adrian Stasiak spoke at the meeting in support of the proposals.

He said: 'I knocked on all doors on Edenside Drive to talk to people about this application.

'About 50pc answered and of those questioned there were more ticks than crosses.

'People who live closest to the site were the main objectors and I understand their concerns.

I live next to an old folks home and they can be bad neighbours, but I think this would be of benefit to our town and I fully support this application.'

Nine councillors voted in favour of the plans and one councillor voted in opposition to them.

Members of the public who wrote to the council in support of the scheme said there was a significant need for such a facility in the area.

They said the site was an ideal location, claimed it would not have a significant impact on neighbours or the character of the area and welcomed the prospect of providing more jobs for local people.

Those who opposed the scheme claimed the development would have a negative impact on parking and highway safety and cause noise disturbance for people living in the area. Norfolk County Council Highways do not object.

Norfolk Fire and Rescue initially objected to the application, due to access issues, but raised no objections after inspecting the site.

Breckland Council case officer Heather Byrne recommended approval.

The site will be operated by Number Seven Healthcare. It is envisaged that there would be eight residents and 10 staff on the site during the day and two staff on site at night.