Plans for a housing development and dentist surgery on a thin strip of land separating Wymondham and Hethersett have been rejected.

Developers wanted to put up five homes on fields on the northeast fringe of the town, close to the B1172 which connects it to neighbouring Hethersett. 

This would have left a gap of just 750m between the two communities.

The scheme, on a 2.7-acre site just north of the Elm Farm Business Park, also included plans for a new dental practice to help meet the high level of local demand.  

South Norfolk councillors sided with development officers and local heritage groups in rejecting the plans at a meeting on Wednesday, arguing that the plans would fill a ‘strategic gap’ between the two settlements.  

Suzanne Nuri-Nixon, a Wymondham town and district councillor, told the committee: “We either have a strategic gap or we don’t.

"It seems to me that where this is falling between Wymondham and Hethersett we are chipping away at the strategic gap. 

“If it is important that the identities of Hethersett and Wymondham should be distinct, I believe this application should be refused.” 

Mark Thompson, a speaker on behalf of the application, said the scheme would bring benefits to the community, highlighting the need for dentist surgery. 

Peppermint Dental Care, which already operates in Wymondham, wrote in support of the application saying they have a waiting list of at least 300 patients.

Mr Thompson rejected the officer's suggestion that other areas in the town would be suitable, arguing that other sites were already close to existing dentists and the area around Elm Farm Business Park was not currently well served. 

The application also saw support from North Wymondham district councillor Jack Hornby.

Mr Hornby said: “There needs to be a diversity of housing in Wymondham, it cannot all be big housing estates. 

“I think that’s a plus and I think what is also a plus is that it contains a dentist surgery.” 

The councillor also argued that the position behind a business park meant the development would not encroach on the strategic gap between the two communities.

The application was rejected eight votes to one.