Farm machinery company Ben Burgess has withdrawn its controversial application to build a new headquarters.

The company wanted to move from near Trowse, on the edge of Norwich, to a new two-storey headquarters at Swainsthorpe.

Plans were lodged with South Norfolk Council in 2018 and they were due to be discussed by the authority's planning committee on Monday.

But council officers had recommended refusal for a number of reasons - and the company has withdrawn its application.

The reasons officers had put forward included that the new buildings would mean a "significant adverse impact to the landscape" and that "important" hedgerow and an oak tree would be lost.

They also said the development would lead to "less than substantial harm" to the significance of nearby St Peters Church, a Grade II* listed building.

And officers said access, via a new three-arm roundabout junction on the A140 to the south of the site, would lead to "conflict and interference" on a stretch of road classified as being "of nationally strategic importance".

More than 570 members of the public had objected, along with a number of parish councils, the Campaign to Protect Rural England and Historic England.

The Saving Swainsthorpe Campaign had long objected to the proposals.

Alongside Swainsthorpe Parish Council, the group helped lead a successful legal challenge over Norfolk County Council's decision-making process earlier this year.

Robin Parkinson, from the campaign group, said: "I feel happiness that all the work put in local people and the team leading the campaign was worthwhile.

"Our basic point is not anti Ben Burgess, but this is the wrong site for development.

"I think it would be difficult for them to still try to develop that site, given the report the officers came up was so comprehensive in its reasons for refusal, but you never know.

"Ben Burgess are a good firm, contribute to the local economy and we wish them well, but on a more suitable site."

There had been support for the plans from 160 members of the public, New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership and Agri-TechE, while Norfolk County Council's economic development department said it would bring economic benefits.

Ben Turner, director of Ben Burgess, said the company's need to relocate its headquarters was "greater than ever".

He said: "In 2013 we started to see significant growth in our business and the machines we were selling were getting a lot bigger.

"By 2014 we realised that we could no longer continue to trade efficiently and safely from our current headquarters in Norwich.

"Our Aylsham and Beeston depots were located deliberately to offer support to our farming customers across Broadland, Mid and North Norfolk, and Breckland, leaving our headquarters in Norwich to support South Norfolk and parts of North Suffolk.

"In May 2014 we met with South Norfolk Council to try to work together on the task of finding us a new location within South Norfolk that could not only house our head office functions, but also an agricultural depot serving South Norfolk, looking after our agricultural, grounds care, crop storage and sheet metalwork customers.

"We understood the challenges that we would face, due to the scale of site required and the importance of the location that was required to be able to continue serving our customers in South Norfolk, whilst not affecting our already well-established depots covering the rest of Norfolk.

"At no stage did we imagine that we would still be having the same conversations with South Norfolk Council regarding the same challenges seven years later.

"We initially put forward eight sites to South Norfolk Council, which for various reasons were deemed unsuitable.

"In 2016 we presented the Swainsthorpe site to South Norfolk Council, to which we felt encouragement was offered for the first time.

"After two years of preparation, we presented our full proposal to South Norfolk Council in November 2018.

"It has taken three years after the initial encouragement and a huge amount of hard work and energy on our side to find out the site is not suitable.

"Our next step will be to continue in our search for a location in South Norfolk to house our head office function with safe and modern facilities to serve and train our 267 employees along with offering excellent support and training to our agricultural and horticultural customers.

"In the eight years that have passed the challenges we face at our existing site have increased due to the significant business growth.

"In the last 12 Covid restricted months, we have added 24 additional staff including nine apprentices. The size and the number of machines we supply continues to grow.

"Our need to relocate is greater than ever and if we cannot deliver a solution for our brilliant staff and customers soon, we may have to give up on our aspiration of finding a single location to build a headquarters South Norfolk and Norfolk agriculture can be proud of."