A scheme to redevelop a former TV factory site with up to 300 new homes has been given the go-ahead.

Waveney District Council's planning committee gave approval to the proposal to develop the vacant Sanyo site with a plan including 100 affordable homes, a playing field and play area after hearing it could 'regenerate a significant area of underused vacant brownfield land in the heart of Lowestoft'.

The 19.75-acre former Sanyo site is part of the wider Area Action Plan (AAP), which will see the area around Lowestoft harbour regenerated. The site forms part of 59.8ha of land for redevelopment as a Sustainable Urban Neighbourhood (SUN), and is close to the Brooke Peninsula and Jeld Wen site, where outline planning permission has been granted for about 850 dwellings together with a primary school and associated infrastructure.

Sanyo closed its television factory in February 2009, with the loss of 60 jobs. At its height, the factory in School Road had a total workforce of 350 and produced about 300,000 televisions a year.

In August 2014, contracts were exchanged between Sanyo UK and Waveney District Council for the sale of the land for what was believed to be more than £2million.

However that drew strong criticism from businessman Peter Colby, who had submitted a failed bid of £2.4million to buy the land so he could set up industrial units for fledgling firms by converting the old buildings to create new jobs, as well as build some new homes.

Despite concerns from neighbours about the impact on properties in Heath Road, increased traffic and parking problems, along with the impact upon drains in nearby Victoria Road, the scheme was given the go-ahead during Waveney's planning committee meeting last Tuesday.

A spokesman for residents in Heath Road said: 'Residents feel very, very frustrated. We have been promised meetings and further information about parking down Heath Road but we have been pushed aside and not taken into consideration. It's appalling how we have been treated.'

A council spokesman confirmed that the scheme to redevelop the former Sanyo site 'was approved.'