Plans for a major new development with 185 houses, sports and care facilities should be turned down, according to a council’s officers.
Cheltenham-based Innova Property wants to build the new homes, a sports park with five pitches, a 60-bed care home and supported living units off Roughton Road on Cromer’s southern outskirts, close to the railway station.
Councillors on North Norfolk District Council’s development committee are due to consider the plans on October 29, but council officers have recommended they turn them down.
The council has received 185 letters opposing the plans, 12 in support and eight providing comments only.
Comments in support highlight the benefit the new sports and care facilities would bring for the town’s youth and older residents, and the need to provide more housing.
One supporter said: “The town needs to encourage youngsters and provide homes for them - they are our future.”
Objectors raised concerns over the impact the development would have on the town’s power, water and traffic networks, potential harm to the environment and questions about the project’s viability.
MORE: Major development with 185 homes and leisure park could be built on outskirts of townOne objector said: “Given the current recession, what is the point of building all these houses? Who is going to be in a position to buy one of the houses – they will just stand empty or be sold to wealthy second home owners?”
Somebody else said: “Medical and ambulance services are generally overwhelmed and there is no north side large hospital to cope with more people on the north side of Norwich.”
The 14-hectare (35 acre) site is currently used for farming.
The officers’ report said the development should be rejected because it did not fit in with policy, which aims to protect the countryside, and because the district already had a five-year land supply for new housing.
The report also said: “The proposal would result in substantial harm to the special qualities of the Norfolk Coast AONB (Area of Natural Beauty), the applicant has failed to demonstrate or appropriately justify why the development needs to be located within an area afforded the highest status of protection.”
The meeting will be shown live on the council’s eDemocracy YouTube channel from 9.30am.
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