Hundreds of new homes given green light on edge of King's Lynn

Plans for 450 new homes on the edge of Lynn have been given the green light by councillors.

The vast new development off Edward Benefer Way, which will lie within the South Wootton parish, was granted permission by the borough council’s planning committee on Thursday.

Outline approval had already been agreed for the homes at a meeting in December 2018, but the scheme’s access, layout, scale, landscaping and appearance were still awaiting the council’s final sign-off.

While most members spoke positively about the scheme, independent councillor Jo Rust was among those to express concerns over it, saying on Thursday: “Open countryside has to start somewhere.

“That is basically going to plonk a massive housing estate in what [has] uninterrupted open countryside views.

“I fully appreciate we need more houses, but these are going to be houses that, in the main, are out of reach of most people.”

She added that she was “really concerned” about the houses being fitted with gas boilers, which she said would have to be replaced within a few years, as part of the government’s strategy to reduce the UK’s carbon emissions.

An officer responded that the homes already had permission in principle, while Conservative councillor Brian Long said he understood that the boilers used would be “hydrogen-ready”, meaning that they will be capable of taking in hydrogen in the future, as well as conventional gas.

Labour councillor Christine Hudson asked whether a new roundabout, used to access the new development, would be able to cope with all the new cars using it.

She said: “The traffic going down Edward Benefer Way now is probably 50 per cent greater than it was in 2018 and as we all know, there’s a tremendous amount of building on that road.

“Is this roundabout going to be suitable for the amount of traffic it’s going to have to deal with?”

The committee’s Conservative chair, Vivienne Spikings, said the roundabout was not up for debate, because it was not strictly part of the housing development.

Some 90 of the homes will be affordable or for shared ownership.

In total, there will be 12 one-bedroom properties, 58 two-bedrooms, 218 three-bedrooms, 138 four-bedrooms and 24 five-bedrooms.

Some 13 councillors voted in favour of the development, with two against and one abstention.