Plans for 179 homes on the edge of Diss, between Shelfanger Road and Heywood/Burston Road are delayed by South Norfolk Council

Plans to build 179 homes on the edge of Diss have been delayed.

Developers want to build on a 20.7-acre site – roughly the size of 14 football pitches – between Shelfanger Road and Heywood Road/Burston Road on the edge of Diss.

But members of South Norfolk Council’s (SNC) planning committee delayed the scheme to get more information on the impact it would have on surrounding roads.

The plans would see 179 homes, plus a new road, built. Of the homes, 33 per cent (59) will be classed as affordable.

The scheme also includes an area of public open space and 1.58 acres of land for the expansion of Diss Cemetery, which is next to the site.

John Hutton, who lives nearby, showed the committee a photo of the site flooded, adding that it was clear the drains could not handle the heavy rainfall.

He pointed to a development in Attleborough where homes had been flooded, following new building work nearby, arguing that could happen in Diss.

“I don’t want to be knee-deep in water,” he said.

Other speakers at the meeting argued that the road changes would be unsafe, and the development would see schools and GP surgeries oversubscribed.

They said a proper plan was needed to mitigate the new properties.

Richard Martin, a director at Scott Properties, the applicant, said the scheme would provide cash to increase GP floor space and would provide 179 “much-needed homes” and improvements for walking and cycling.

Another supporting speaker also said there was a “packet of measures” to address flooding on the site, including an “attenuation basin” to hold water.

Councillors initially voted to reject the plan, with two votes for, five against and one abstention.

Members then agreed to defer the application to look at the highway impacts of the scheme, with further information set to be presented at the next meeting.