Permission has been granted for an 11-home development in a north Norfolk village, after assurances were given that the homes would not worsen the problem of flooding in the area.

The decision to grant permission for the homes on land south of Wells Road in Hindringham was made at a Thursday meeting of North Norfolk District Council’s development committee.

Broadland Development Services had originally asked to construct 12 homes on the site, but the committee asked the developer at a July meeting to review the layout so as to make it less dense.

At that meeting, concerns had been raised about the impact of the development on foul water and drainage issues.

The applicant said the foul sewer had since been surveyed by Anglian Water and found to be in a “relatively good condition” and that the development would result in a “negligible increase in flows.”

Hindringham’s district councillor, Richard Kershaw, said he was grateful for the amendments made to the application, but added: “I still have to take issue with the sewage going into the Stiffkey [river].

“Even in September, October, it was happening. The fact that Anglian Water has carried out CCTV inspections and found no blockages, for me, that makes the problem worse.

“If there are no blockages and we’re still getting these issues going into the Stiffkey, I find that morally indefensible.”

An Anglian Water representative insisted during the meeting that the company had no record of flooding ever being reported.

She said manhole inspections had been carried out throughout the parish, and no issues had been found throughout the network.

She added there were no records of flooding being reported to Anglian Water.

Pictures of flooding on the site showed that it was surface rather than sewage flooding, she said, because of the colour of the water.

She confirmed that the development would not adversely affect Anglian Water’s network.

The development, which won majority approval, will consist of a mixture of one and two-bed bungalows and two-storey homes.

In a report, officers had said the development would meet local need, as there are currently 92 households on the council's housing list with a local connection to Hindringham and the adjoining parishes.