Bid to build ‘forever home’ in countryside outside Kenninghall given green light despite safety concerns

A family’s bid to build a ‘forever home’ in the Norfolk countryside has been given the green light despite safety concerns from highway officials.

The four-bedroom, self-build property will be constructed on land outside Kenninghall following a decision by Breckland councillors to grant permission.

Highways officers warned that drivers regularly exceeded the 40mph limit on Banham Road, the narrow country lane where the house will sit, and that visibility levels at the proposed access fell short of national safety standards.

They also argued that the development would leave future residents reliant on cars, with no footpaths or bus services linking the site to the village.

But councillors on Breckland District Council disagreed, arguing that the risks were overstated and that the conditions demanded ‘a little bit of common sense’.

Councillor Keith Gilbert said: “I do not see that the fact people exceed the speed limit along that road should be taken as a reason for refusal.

“If people speed, the access should be fine as far as I’m concerned.”

Peter Wilkinson, a Conservative, added that he considered the access acceptable as there appeared to be ‘plenty of visibility when pulling out’.

The planning meeting heard that the site previously contained buildings and greenhouses and was used as a nursery until the 1980s – a fact that was pointed to by councillors in their decision.

Councillor Samantha Taylor said: “That land was used for vehicular access when it was working as a nursery.

“There’s a historic precedent for traffic coming in and out of the site.

“I struggle to see how one residential property would have more impact than a business.”

The applicants, Mr and Mrs Barham, described the proposed property as their ‘forever home’.

An agent representing the couple argued that the self-build nature of the property was another reason for approval as it would address a “woeful shortfall” in self-build housing across Breckland.

She suggested that highway officers preparing the negative report ‘live in towns and cities and have no experience of rural Norfolk’.

Alison Holman, the chairwoman of Kenninghall Parish Council, also backed the plan, describing the proposed house as “not imposing” and in keeping with others along the road.

“We monitor speeding in the village and this area has not been included,” she said.

The family had a previous application to build the home thrown out in 2024, and various public comments continued to raise concerns at the latest bid.

One said: “Traffic has hugely increased since 1984 and the vehicles that use Banham Road now are very much bigger, heavier, vastly increased in number and faster despite restrictions.

“Minor accidents and near misses are commonplace and don’t always get reported.”

Another said that they would ‘prefer that the site remains undeveloped to maintain a small, though rare, area of wildlife habitat and biodiversity’.

After a debate, councillors approved the plans by eight votes to two.