Plans for a proposed business and leisure park have been given the green light by councillors but its ultimate fate will now be decided by a government minister.

The site, which would be for a mix of uses including a DIY superstore and garden centre, hotel, family pub and drive-thru restaurant, is at the Hardwick industrial estate in King's Lynn.

But the process has met set backs along the way with administrators now handling the affairs of applicants Morston Assets which last December went into administration after failure to secure funding.

The original scheme, first put forward in June last year, has been recently amended after the plans for a new multi-screen cinema were dropped.

The total floorspace would total a maximum of 24,972 square meters.

At West Norfolk Council's planning committee yesterday, a councillor raised concerns regarding the demand of the facilities proposed in the application.

Avril Wright said she questioned whether the proposed DIY superstore and garden centre was a good idea for the site after the loss of the Homebase in King's Lynn in June as a result of 'lack of interest'.

'I am just wondering if we have given sufficient thought to what we put on the site.

'We have a once in a lifetime opportunity to have something right here. I wouldn't like to see that area dotted with DIY superstores,' said Mrs Wright.

But her concerns were met with the response that any decision concerning what to place at the site would be market driven.

Councillors voted in favour of approving the application subject to the referral to the secretary of state.

Their decision also came with a long string of conditions which included ensuring there would be no impact on protected species, no changes should be made to the proposed access drawing and, unless otherwise agreed in writing, work should not start until details for a three metre wide footway along both the north and south sides of Scania Way - A149 Link Road have been approved by the local planning authority.