A petition signed by thousands of Attleborough residents calling for shortfalls in infrastructure to be addressed before more housing is built in the town will be debated by district councillors next week.

Leader of Breckland Council William Nunn was presented with the petition, signed by more than 2,700 people, by the Attleborough Community Team (ACT) on January 26.

ACT, an independent community forum set up in March last year to help shape future development in Attleborough, claimed that about 700 homes had been built in the town over the last decade without major improvements putting increasing strain on the road network, schools and doctors surgeries.

The group's petition demanded that unsustainable development within Attleborough should be stopped and requested that Breckland provides a commitment to address shortfalls in infrastructure before any more significant development takes place, that any action plans identify how developers will contribute to the overall improvement and to ensure that proper consultation is undertaken regarding all proposals affecting the town and the surrounding area.

Under Breckland's current scheme all petitions received containing more than 1,500 signatures must be debated by the full council, which will take place next Thursday from 10.30am.

ACT will be given five minutes to present their arguments which will then be discussed by councillors who will come to a decision on how to respond to the petition.