Inspectorate rules against Attleborough 40-home Warren Lane development

Government officials have blocked plans for 40 new homes in a fast-growing Norfolk town.

The Planning Inspectorate has upheld a ruling by Breckland Council to refuse the development off Warren’s Lane in Attleborough.

The developers, Righetti Group, had appealed the decision and disputed concerns about the impact of the new housing on the surrounding countryside.

But the inspector reviewing the case has refused to overturn Breckland Council’s decision and agreed the scheme would have a “harmful and urbanising” effect.

The town is growing fast and has already been earmarked for 4,000 new homes as part of the Attleborough Sustainable Urban Extension (SUE) – which will see it double in size.

The development proposed by Righetti Group would have seen 40 houses built to the west of Warren’s Lane, close to the A11.

When considering the application, Breckland Council officials said the scheme would be a “hard urbanising intrusion” on the edge of the town and would have a detrimental impact on one of its main gateways.

The council refused the plans and Righetti Group appealed to the government’s Planning Inspectorate, which rules in planning disputes, to overturn this decision.

While the developers acknowledged there would be a visual impact on the landscape, they believed the economic benefits of the scheme, such as council tax payments from new residents, outweighed this issue.

Following a hearing into the case, the Planning Inspectorate has sided with the council and dismissed the appeal made by Righetti Group.

The inspector said: “The site contributes to the rural landscape setting of the town on the approach from Ellingham Road and as such is sensitive to change.

“The development would extend the built-up area of Attleborough and have a harmful and urbanising effect on the rural approach to the town.

“The adverse impacts of the development would significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits.”

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