Great Ellingham homes plans refused by Breckland Council

A council has blocked three separate attempts to build new housing in a quiet street.

Villagers in Great Ellingham were divided over the planning applications in Bow Street, where tensions are said to be ‘running high’.

While some residents were unfazed by the proposals, others said they had serious concerns about the impact of new housing on the roads and rural landscape.

At a meeting this week, Breckland councillors voted against three applications in Bow Street, which would have resulted in five homes being built, and a further fourth application in nearby Attleborough Road.

It took the committee more than two hours to consider all four applications, ultimately resulting in no new development in the village.

Great Ellingham, a village of around 1,400 people, was lauded for its rural character and concerns were raised about the impact of new properties on the countryside.

One of the applications considered by the committee was for three homes to be built behind the Old Queen’s Head pub, in Attleborough Road.

This was refused due to concerns about road safety, given a lack of pathways in the area, and the ‘unwarranted intrusion’ of housing development into the rural landscape.

The three further applications, in Bow Street, were refused on similar grounds, each receiving around 20 objections.

Sarah Suggitt, deputy leader of the council and local councillor for the area, said: “These applications in Bow Street have caused a great deal of local tension.

“There are some residents who are open to some growth in the village and feel they can’t express that due to some of the hostility.”

A spokesman for one of the applicants warned the committee blocking small-scale developments could result in large planning applications, including hundreds of new homes, being more likely to emerge in the future.

Nevertheless, all four schemes were refused.