Homes plan approved for Norfolk pub site

Anthony CarrollControversial plans to build 15 homes on the site of a demolished Gorleston pub were approved last night - despite a record number of objections being sent to council planners.Anthony Carroll

Controversial plans to build 15 homes on the site of a demolished Gorleston pub were approved last night - despite a record number of objections being sent to council planners.

Great Yarmouth Borough Council gave the green light for 15 terraced social homes to be built on the recently demolished Cap and Gown pub which closed at the tail end of least year.

Last night's development control committee heard that a petition with the names of 975 residents from the Magdalen Estate objecting to the homes, which would be owned by Flagship Housing, had been sent to the council.

The residents' main objection was that the new homes would exacerbate an existing problem over a lack of car parking spaces for shops and homes in the Magdalen Way area.

There were also a concerns the new 16 parking spaces at the homes would attract gangs of antisocial youths.

Councillors heard the petition was believed to be the largest number of objections ever sent in over a planning matter.

Objector Donna Salter told the committee that traffic was already chaotic in the area and that any new vehicles would end up as an 'accident waiting to happen'.

Local councillor Brian Walker said he objected to the plans as it appeared the developer was cramming too many houses into a small space leading to the creation of a 'concrete jungle' in the heart of the estate.

However councillors were told that the homes met all the borough council's planning requirements and policies and that it would be hard for the authority to fight any appeal by the developer if the scheme was rejected because of parking concerns.