A housing giant is scoping out the potential to build 410 homes amid hundreds of houses already under construction by the A47.

BDW Eastern Counties - a division of Barratt - has submitted an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) statement to South Norfolk Council for the major development, including green open space, west of Colney Lane in Cringleford.

If a planning application is put forward and approved it would be built between the 650-home Cringleford Heights and Roundhouse Gate, which are both under construction by BDW Eastern Counties and Tilia Homes.

Another big development near the 26.92 hectare-plot, which could be developed, is the 350-home St Giles Park being built by South Norfolk Council-owned Big Sky Developments.

Daniel Elmer, who represents Cringleford on the district council for the Conservatives, said: "It is very early stages in which an application may or may not come forward sometime in the future.

"If an application did come forward it would be very important to have appropriate infrastructure with a particular emphasis on road safety."

The Cringleford Neighbourhood Development Plan, formulated in February 2014, said 1,200 new homes should be built in the area, according to Mr Elmer.

The EIA statement said the Greater Norwich Local Plan (GNLP), due to be decided by the secretary of state for housing this month, Cringleford could have 1,711 homes built between 2018-2038.

Ambitious schemes for the GNLP have been put together by South Norfolk Council, Broadland District Council, Norwich City Council and Norfolk County Council. A whopping 45,000 new homes could be built around the city by 2041.

Mr Elmer said he hoped the educational needs of people in the area, including those living in the potential new estate, should be supported by developers.

The expanding suburb already has a primary school in Dragonfly Lane, part of the Round House Park development, also near Roundhouse Gate and Cringleford Heights, which will also include a primary.

Norwich Evening News: Barratt and David Wilson Homes managing director Simon Wood on site at the company's Cringleford Heights development.Barratt and David Wilson Homes managing director Simon Wood on site at the company's Cringleford Heights development. (Image: copyright keith mindham photography)

A spokesman for BDW Eastern Counties said: "We have put forward land west of Colney Lane to the Greater Norwich Local Plan as a potential location for growth. We will fully evaluate the response from the local authority and will take any feedback into consideration.”