New affordable homes are being planned for a Norfolk village where property prices leave first-time buyers with "a mountain to climb".

Matthew Hales and Karl Barrett have applied to North Norfolk council for outline planning permission for seven new properties at Alby Hill, near Aylsham.

In a planning statement, they say the houses would be marketed under the government's First Homes scheme, which gives first-time buyers a 30pc discount off the market price and caps house prices at £250,000.

They add: "The first homes scheme was introduced in response to decades of rising property prices which has meant that first-time buyers and essential workers have a mountain to climb to get onto the property market.

"This mountain is even higher being more like Everest than Snowdon in areas such as Alby and Aldborough where prices are even higher as caused by second homes and those who are leaving London with huge budgets to spend on properties."

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The proposed new homes would be built on land between Alby Hill and Aldborough Primary School.

They would only be available to first-time buyers from the local area, with priority given to veterans of the armed forces and key workers including nurses, police officers, firefighters, and teachers.

A new car park would also be built and donated to the school as part of the proposal.

Developers say the school has "great pressure on parking and only one space for visitors".

Their statement adds: "This application will be a positive benefit to both the local community in terms of supplying much-needed homes for key workers and first-time buyers that are not currently being brought forward in north Norfolk.

"People need places to live that they want to live in."

A decision is expected from North Norfolk council later this year.