Green light for 112 home estate off Norwich Road, Scole
Villagers have been defeated in a “David and Goliath” battle against developers hoping to build 112 new homes on their doorsteps.
South Norfolk Council has given the green light for Hopkins Homes to build a new estate off Norwich Road in Scole.
The development will increase the village in size by almost 20 per cent and has faced significant pushback from locals who fear the loss of their rural way of life.
Councillors, however, approved the application in light of a pledge by the developer to provide a new sports pitch for the village, as well as agreeing to pick up the bill for £170,000 of improvements to an existing car park.
Colin Edwards, who lives close to the development, believes the views of local people have been ignored. Many fear the new housing will worsen issues with flooding in the village.
He said: “I feel like this is a David and Goliath situation. We are fed up and I wonder why we should bother any more.
“I have lived here for a decade and it is a nice, quiet, secluded area. But these decisions are being taken away from local people and Norfolk is losing its identity.”
The site in Scole was originally earmarked for 50 new homes, but district councillors decided to go against their own policy to approve the proposal by Hopkins Homes, which will see 112 properties built on the site.
Christian Partridge, chairman of Scole United Football Club, welcomed the scheme and the promise of a new sports pitch, saying it could make a hug difference to the club.
“We have been looking for a new pitch for quite some time as we are currently split over three sites,” he said.
“Having more young people in the village would improve our numbers and it would be lovely to bring the club back home.”
The village currently has about 640 homes, meaning the development will lead to a significant population increase.
South Norfolk Council’s planning committee approved the application at a meeting on October 23 and construction on the site is expected to begin in the summer.
