Litcham development on Wellingham Road and Weasenham Road will include reduced number of affordable homes

A housing developer owned by a Norfolk council has slashed the number of affordable houses it will build in a village near Swaffham.

Under the original plans, 16 homes were due to be built on Wellingham Road and Weasenham Road in Litcham, including six that were classed as “affordable”.

But at a Breckland Council planning meeting last week, Breckland Bridge, the applicant, argued the scheme would no longer be viable and all but two should be sold at a market rate.

The company is owned by the council, which approved the plan, and development company Land Group.

Ahead of Tuesday’s planning committee meeting, Litcham Parish Council wrote to the authority to “strongly object” to the change.

It said: “How can this site be not viable when it was viable in the first application? The Council opposed to any developer trying to get out of providing affordable housing.”

Mark Kiddle-Morris, a Litcham councillor and committee member, said material and labour costs were pushing up the price of development, making affordable homes unviable.

The cut was unanimously approved.