RICHARD BATSON A plan to build a £9bn eco-town creating 10,000 homes and 2,000 jobs on the old airfield has been shot down in flames by the jail plan.

RICHARD BATSON

A plan to build a £9bn eco-town creating 10,000 homes and 2,000 jobs on the old airfield has been shot down in flames by the jail plan.

And the developer behind the ambitious green venture, which included a brand new broad, today branded the decision to build cells rather than homes as “crazy.”

Richard Davies had the vision of turning the base into a sustainable self contained community with houses, schooling, employment, and eco-friendly railbus link to Norwich.

But today he said: “We can house people who do wrong, but not those who do not. Are we going crazy?”

With a need for more than 8,000 homes in north Norfolk and 7,000 in Broadland, “where else are we going to build them,” he added.

“There is not room in the existing towns. We had the funding in place for a scheme which would have delivered 2,000 affordable homes.”

The jail had “wiped it all out” partly because it took land needed for the venture and partly because he would not be happy with having the jail on its doorstep.

“I have lost my enthusiasm for it,” said Mr Davies, the 60-year-old son of a north Norfolk fisherman who has track record of major housing developments.

The scheme included low density executive housing on an island snaking roughly along the line of the current runway.

It also featured an urban village with market square and community centre, starter business units, a primary school, wind turbines, GP surgery and waterfront hotel.