Agricultural land in a village on the A47 between Dereham and Swaffham has been earmarked for development of 15 houses and a small shop.
An application has been submitted to Breckland Council to develop land at Top Farm on Main Road, in Little Fransham, opposite Spicers Corner and next to a recent housing development on the site of the former Fransham Motor Company.
A design and access statement prepared by Beeston Architectural Services says they would be 'efficient sustainable houses with attached/detached garages set in generous plots' and would include four affordable housing units.
It says the applicants want to retain a 'rural' aesthetic and propose the houses fronting Main Road are designed to imitate a range of converted barns or outbuildings.
To the north of the site they intend to retain all existing trees and hedges to create a five-metre green buffer zone to create a green nature corridor through the site from east to west.
The proposed shop would have a two-bedroom flat and is intended to serve any new residents and the wider community of Little Fransham.
The report says: 'A local shop is a much needed resource in Little Fransham.
'Increasing the services available in addition to the existing Farm Shop will help negate the need for residents of the application site and the wider community to use a car for essential day to day shopping.'
It also says that Fransham Parish Council had recently advertised for landowners to donate a parcel of land in village for the construction of a community play area, so the scheme includes a large fully fitted play area.
But in a letter to Breckland planners Fransham Parish Council says it does not support the application.
It writes: 'Fransham is a unsustainable village as it has no facilities and no guidelines. This is a totally inappropriate number of dwellings in the village.'
Highways England have also written to planners to say it believe the proposed access off the A47 trunk road is too close to other existing accesses and is also too close to Spicer's Lane without engineering work.
It suggests sharing the access with Top Farm.
* What do you think? Email kathryn.cross@archant.co.uk
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