Great Ellingham homes developer axes village hall pledge

Orchard Developments Ltd originally pledged to give 2,200 square metres of land to Great Ellingham Parish Council for a community facility as part of the housing scheme.

But as the project, first approved in 2018, enters its final phases - with homes along Hingham Road already completed and occupied - the firm has put forward a controversial U-turn.

The development is largely completed (Image: Google)

Rather than deliver the promised community site, it is now seeking permission to build nine new homes on the land it had set aside.

The nine homes proposal forms part of a wider redesign of the estate's remaining phases, with the overall number of dwellings across the whole site actually falling by one, from 155 to 154, as homes are reconfigured elsewhere on the estate.

In place of the village hall, the developer is offering cash, nearly doubling its financial contribution from £368,000 to £725,000.

Breckland planning officers have backed the swap, insisting the money is sufficient to "off-set the loss of land."

Bowsfield in Great Ellingham will include 153 newly-built two, three, four and five-bedroom properties (Image: Warners)

However, ahead of a planning committee decision on February 24, locals have raised concerns about the plans.

One villager warned: “The loss of the land for the village hall severely restricts what can be achieved.

“It is an important centre for the village, used by a considerable amount of people, and desperately needs investment in order to improve the infrastructure and facilities."

The revised proposals also include scrapping 14 retirement homes previously reserved for over-55s - which planning officers describe as "discriminatory".

It is also set to replace planned luxury five-bedroom houses, which the developer has struggled to sell, with more modestly-sized three and four-bedroom homes and bungalows built in its place.  

Bowsfield in Great Ellingham will include 153 newly-built two, three, four and five-bedroom properties (Image: Warners)

Breckland Council is also facing pressure to approve the changes due to a critical shortfall in its housing land supply, which currently stands at just 2.82 years against the five-year government requirement.

Great Ellingham Parish Council has been approached for comment.