A meeting is being held in Halesworth next week to discuss an outline application to build up to 160 new homes in the town.

The application, submitted by Hopkins Homes, is for land north and east of Hill Farm Road, and will also include the provision of a new meadow, additional site wide open space and landscaping, land to enable an extension to the existing cemetery and vehicular accesses off Hill Farm Road.

The application was submitted to Waveney District Council on December 23, and Halesworth Town Council has called a planning committee meeting for Wednesday, January 11, to discuss the bid.

A notice from the council said: 'The short notice for this planning committee meeting is due to the timing of their submission and the loss of work days during the Christmas period.

'The meeting is later than normal, at 7.15pm, to give more residents the opportunity to attend if they so wish. All those residents who wish will be welcome to attend and express their opinion.'

The documents submitted with the application say it would be a phased development of up to 160 dwellings to provide a mix of sizes including bungalows, smaller properties and family houses, with 35pc affordable housing.

It says: 'The application site represents an available, suitable, achievable, viable and therefore deliverable source of housing land which Hopkins Homes are fully committed to bringing forward at the earliest opportunity in line with a delivery programme from 2019.

'A Competing Sites Assessment has also been undertaken which demonstrates that all other potential alternative development areas in the town are subject to constraints which will affect their deliverability and that the site therefore is the most favourable option to accommodate the additional housing required in the short term.'

The planning meeting will be held at the Day Centre in London Road.

The agenda can be accessed on the Halesworth Town Council website at www.halesworthtowncouncil.org.uk

The application can also be found on the East Suffolk site at www.eastsuffolk.gov.uk

Anyone interested in attending the meeting is asked to inform the town clerk by emailing clerk@halesworthtowncouncil.org.uk so that seating can be arranged.