Councillors have warned they could be 'failing in their duty' to provide a school after previous plans for one in the area were withdrawn following objections.

Plans to build a new school near West Hall Farm, in Gayton, King's Lynn, were discussed at a county council planning regulatory meeting on Friday, January 24.

And councillors were told a previous application for a new primary school and nursery at Winch Road, Gayton, had been withdrawn in 2018, after concerns over flood risk and drainage.

But members of the committee - who had to decide whether to carry out a site visit - warned they were at risk of "failing in their duty", if there were further delays to the new application.

Plans for the new single-storey school were submitted to the council by the director of children's services in November.

The development would see a new 210 place primary school and 56 place nursery to replace the existing school located in Lynn Road, Gayton, and has seen 18 letters written in support and 10 letters of objection received.

Labour councillor David Collis said: "I live quite near the site and there are objections from people who really feel they're going to lose certain advantages of their property."

He added: "But I have not come up with anything that amounts to a serious objection which would lead to us saying this isn't the site.

"The thing which affects me most is the fact we are currently not supplying a school in that area and are to some extent failing in our duty."

And Conservative councillor Brian Long said: "There will be folk who say that isn't the best place for the school. That could go on and on and 18 months could have passed and children should have been going to that school.

"There's for and against but I don't think we need to look at it."

While Independent councillor Mick Castle added: "There was no comment from the local member, there's no objection from Highways, there's no objection about flooding. If I could see on the proposals something that was sounding alarm bells but the local member hasn't suggested any."

But Conservative member William Richmond said: "There's quite a few concerns from the parish council about access and footways. I'd like to do the visit."

Councillors agreed not to carry out a site visit at the location, with one member voting in favour of a visit and one member abstaining.