The North Norfolk District Council has said that the response to an online survey asking what people in Fakenham think of a proposal to sell Highfield car park and replace it with housing for the over-55s is being carefully considered.

The survey ended on September 29 and the results are now being examined ahead of any further decisions.

North Norfolk District Councillor, Judy Oliver, said: 'I would like to thank all the people who responded to the consultation on Highfield Road and in particular Fakenham Town Council who have done a huge amount of work to represent the views of the people of Fakenham.

We are of course considering very carefully all the consultation responses from more than 220 people to understand the views of the community, and we are considering all that has been said to us by members of the Town Council.

'We now need to consider the right way forward given the views expressed.'

The proposal resulted in a passionate response from people living in the community, with many stressing the importance of the car park and questioning why over-55 housing could not be provided among the 950 homes that are soon to be developed.

Town Mayor, George Acheson, has spoken about the plans a number of times and has pressed the district council to provide better justification for their proposal, urging them not to make politically motivated decisions.

Following a recent town council meeting, the Mayor said that if the car park remains open and the plans for the sale are scrapped then charges for parking will almost certainly be introduced.

Councillor Oliver said the results of the survey show that over half of the people who responded feel the car park would still be used if a charge was introduced.

'In terms of charging for car parking there was a slight majority of respondents 53% who felt that people would park at Highfield Road if charges were introduced,' she said.

'I recognise that the vast majority of comments were in favour of retaining parking on the site. Obviously we will want to reflect on the community's wishes and on the views expressed around Highfield Road car park in the context of the future development of the town, as we form our views.'