Wymondham town sign

Controversial plans to build up to 350 additional new homes in Wymondham look set for approval, despite significant objections from residents, the town council and MP George Freeman.

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The outline proposals, by Landstock Estates Ltd and Landowners Group, will be discussed during a special meeting of South Norfolk Council’s planning committee on Wednesday.

Developers hope to build on 18.1 hectares (44.7 acres) of land off Norwich Common, north of a site owned by Persimmon Homes which gained approval for 323 dwellings in August, and north-east of the Whispering Oaks development where 375 homes are under construction.

Among the objectors are Wymondham Town Council, Hethersett Parish Council, Mid Norfolk MP George Freeman, Greater Norwich Development Partnership (GNDP), the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) and nearby residents.

According to a report by Paul Whitham, development control services manager at South Norfolk Council, the application contravenes a number of local planning policies, but these are outweighed by the fact the district is lacking a five-year land supply for development.

Trevor Gurney, clerk at Wymondham Town Council, said concerns included the erosion of the gap between Hethersett and Wymondham, highway safety and impact on infrastructure and services.

“If South Norfolk is minded to approve this application then the town council would expect these 350 homes to be deducted from the allocated 2,200 dwellings in the GNDP’s plan,” he said.

According to the GNDP’s Joint Core Strategy, adopted by South Norfolk Council, Wymondham will grow by 2,200 new homes by 2026.

The GNDP said speculative applications, like Landstock Estates Ltd and Landowner Group’s proposals, are “not the most effective way” of meeting the strategy’s aims.