Parish councillors have welcomed a plan to build much-needed social housing for their village community near Fakenham.Proposals have been submitted on behalf of Broadland Housing Association to construct eight affordable homes on a green-field site in East Rudham.

Parish councillors have welcomed a plan to build much-needed social housing for their village community near Fakenham.

Proposals have been submitted on behalf of Broadland Housing Association to construct eight affordable homes on a green-field site in East Rudham.

The application to West Norfolk Council includes parking and landscaping at the 3,400sqm site, off School Road.

Tony Elburn, chairman of East Rudham Parish Council, said the long-awaited scheme would help encourage young families to stay in the village.

“The parish council supports this, as we have been waiting for it for at least 15 years,” he said.

“We need affordable housing here to keep the age profile down. We don't want to be a retirement village - the village school is almost full and we want to keep it that way.

“This development was based on a survey of needs in the first instance and it has followed on from there. The houses were designed to suit as many candidates as possible.”

The eight new homes include three two-bedroom houses, two three-bed houses and two single-bed flats for rental. There is also a four-bed “special needs bungalow” designed to suit a specific family within the village.

Earlier plans were revised to address concerns raised by highways officers about the location of the access road and proposed crossing point for pedestrians.

The developer's design and access statement says: “The scheme is the result of a close collaboration among the design team, client and local authority. The proposed development respects and integrates into the existing context. Its layout, scale, form and appearance have been carefully designed to achieve high quality affordable housing in a rural location.”