Calls to rip down industrial units and replace them with housing

Folk living in School Lane and Lusher's Loke have long complained of ongoing issues due to industrial businesses operating nearby.

These qualms include light pollution and a build-up of trucks in the narrow streets.

The latest issue has seen Norfolk Trucks receive retrospective planning permission for the repositioning of industrial racking for storing goods.

The plan was strongly opposed by Sprowston Town Council and neighbours on the grounds of its visual impact on the street scene and for going against the town's neighbourhood plan.

Burdens Civils, which is a subsidiary of Norfolk Trucks, said it was aware of the ongoing concerns but would not be commenting on the matter.

Now that the hedges have been removed, there is no buffer for people living on the opposite side of School Lane (Image: Derek Wright)

Town council chairman Bill Couzens said: "We are hoping the businesses there will move to more suitable accommodation so we can redevelop the site.

"It is not really suitable for what is quite a narrow road."

Another planning application for a mast was approved by Broadland District Council at the industrial estate in May after similar objections.

Sprowston Labour district councillor Natasha Harpley said: "There always seems to be something going on down there. It is such a strange site. It causes a lot of friction.

"There are accidents all the time and the visibility is poor. It's just a real nightmare. Of all the roads, it is probably the one I get the most emails about."

Norfolk highways development management officer Kieran Yates raised no objections to the latest racking application for the site.

A planning statement prepared by Mango Planning and Development on behalf of the applicant said: "The height of the racking structure is 5.1m.

"This is slightly higher than the numerous HGV vehicles that were parked along this boundary for a number of years without issue."

Derek Wright, 75, who lives in Neville Close nearby, said: "These racking poles have been up ever since they moved in and a lot of people complained about it.

Derek Wright said he had blackout blinds installed which made the problem far more manageable, but didn't know how people living directly opposite could cope with the light pollution (Image: Derek Wright)

"The amount of lorries going to the site is the main problem. There can sometimes be two to three lorries waiting to unload at the same time blocking traffic."