Concerns have been raised about a 'confusing' planning application for almost 200 new homes in an expanding Norfolk village.

%image(14694285, type="article-full", alt="Hethersett Parish Council criticised the "confusing" diagrams attached to Taylor Wimpey's latest planning application. Picture: Taylor Wimpey")

Parish councils for Hethersett and Little Melton said diagrams attached to the latest application phase of the Taylor Wimpey development on Little Melton Road, Hethersett, were unclear and that key traffic documents were missing.

In an email to South Norfolk Council, Annette Palmer, Hethersett Parish Council clerk, said it was unable to comment on the most recent stage of the Taylor Wimpey development because the application and documents submitted alongside were not 'public user friendly'.

A Taylor Wimpey spokesman said they will meet with parish councillors at their next meeting on December 17 to address any concerns.

Mrs Palmer said diagrams of the proposed layout did not show where the new houses would be in relation to the roads and asked for clarification so councillors could provide comment.

%image(14698491, type="article-full", alt="Nearly 200 houses are set to be built on developers Taylor Wimpey A2 Hethersett site. Photo: Taylor Wimpey")

The clerk also said the traffic assessment was missing from the application and asked for reassurance it had been carried out.

John Heaser, chairman for Little Melton Parish Council, said traffic was a keen concern and the developers had not taken the neighbouring village into account when they assessed the development's impact.

He said: 'The map used in the assessment cuts off Little Melton even though the village is less than two miles away.

'This traffic is not disappearing into the wilderness and the knock on effect should be taken into account.'

Mr Heaser said the main concern for villagers was that Little Melton would be used as an exit route from the estate and said this should have been mentioned in the traffic assessment.

He added the traffic calming measures suggested by Taylor Wimpey when it made its first application had not been included in the latest proposals.

A representative for Taylor Wimpey will attend Hethersett Parish Council's monthly public meeting at the Village Hall, Back Lane, at 7.30pm on Monday, December 17.

As well as confusion over missing documents, Norfolk County Council's flood risk officer objected to the application over concerns about surface water drainage.

In a letter to the South Norfolk Council planning committee, the officer said: 'It is not clear at this point in time what is proposed for the disposal of surface water within the Phase A2 area.

'Also it is not clear who will own the drainage infrastructure and who will be responsible for ongoing maintenance.'

The department said it would reconsider its objection if the issues were addressed by the developer.

A Taylor Wimpey spokesman said: 'We are currently liaising with Hethersett Parish Council with regards to our application for Hethersett Phase A2 and have arranged to attend the next parish council meeting on December 17 to discuss our plans and address any concerns councillors may have.'