Concern has been raised about how much new housing a south Norfolk village will have to take as a consultation continues into where thousands of homes will be built across the district over the next 15 years.

Planning officers from South Norfolk Council were at Mulbarton Village Hall on Wednesday displaying maps showing all the nearby sites which have been nominated for development by landowners.

Residents have until November 18 to submit their views on which area's would be most suitable.

According to the Joint Core Strategy (JCS), adopted by the council this year, the district will grow by about 10,500 homes by 2026.

Mulbarton is classed as a 'service village' where 10 to 20 additional homes will be built, although it could also have to accept a portion of 1,800 'floating' homes still to be allocated to the area's towns and main villages.

Meanwhile architects John Thompson and Partners (JTP) - working on behalf of developers Welbeck Land and Landform - are preparing to submit a planning application for up to 180 homes on a site south of the village.

Some fear that the controversial proposals, which have been opposed by the parish council and several nearby residents, will be looked on favourably by the district council in light of its search for sites for the unallocated 1,800 homes.

Peter Leigh, chairman of Mulbarton Parish Council, said: 'We understand we have to take on a few houses. As we are classed as a service village, this means 10 to 20 but because we fall within this area where they're trying to allocate another 1,800 we may have to take on some more, but not 180.

'The fear is that this development will be seen as the easy option. It would mean the council have got rid of 10pc of the 1,800 houses they need to find.'

South Norfolk Council spokesman David Peel said the consultation would help identify the areas where the unallocated homes could go, but added that no decisions had yet been made.

'We are encouraging people to come forwards, not just to talk about the principle of different levels of housing, but also to share their local knowledge. We want to know issues such as drainage and accessibility. These are the issues we need to know about to make our decisions,' he said.

Comments made will be used to narrow down the list of nominated development plots to a set of preferred sites, which the public will have the chance to comment on again next year.

For more information or leave to comments, visit www.south-norfolk.gov.uk/ldf