Delay over homes plan

Villagers hoping a new housing development will help ensure the future their post office and shop face a further wait to see if the plan will be given the green light.

Villagers hoping a new housing development will help ensure the future their post office and shop face a further wait to see if the plan will be given the green light.

Great Ryburgh has been left without a post office after it was forced to shut earlier this month because the sub-postmaster left to retire at short notice and no one could be found in time as a replacement.

And while the adjoining shop, in Station Road, remains open, its lease will expire in December and will not be renewed.

Developer Michael McNamara has offered the village a lifeline by proposing a housing development at the Old Granary, in Station Road, which would include a shop cum post office, along with 10 homes, five of which will be affordable housing.

Both businesses in the development would be run by the Ryburgh Community Enterprise, which was set up by villagers after they learned they could lose their shop, and which took over the current store's running on Saturday, May 17.

But at a meeting of North Norfolk

District Council's planning committee on Thursday planners asked that any decision be deferred so they could speak to the developer further because the ratio of affordable homes needed to be increased in order for the development to comply with local planning policies.

Councillors voted for deferral but said on paper it seemed the development offered great community benefits.