Plans for new holiday homes at a coastal farm look set to go ahead despite calls for permanent homes to be built instead. 

West Norfolk council turned down initial plans for seven new one and two-bed units at Church Farm, off the B1454 east of Heacham last year.

It said there was already "wide provision for tourist accommodation within the locality" and it would fail to "preserve or enhance" an area of natural beauty.

Now councillors have been recommended to approve revised plans by developer Mel-Able farming, despite ongoing concerns that high numbers of second and holiday homes in the area are pricing out locals. 

"Our proposal provides a very different type of holiday accommodation in contrast to the typical coastal Heacham caravan park," they state.

"It provides barn-style rural accommodation in a farm-stay setting and provides access to both the countryside and the coast."

Mel-Able adds its proposals would bring in between four and 17 jobs and contribute £768,000 to the local economy.

It adds it has addressed safety concerns over the development's proximity to the farm with a fence and the impact on the landscape of the development, which will be "small in scale" and will be "slight or neutral".

Heacham Parish Council has objected because the scheme is contrary to the village's neighbourhood plan, which states any new development should provide permanent homes.

But the site is outside of the development boundary for Heacham.

A planning officer's report concludes: "The proposal will replace a series of dilapidated barns which unfortunately are not capable of conversion due to their poor state of repair.

"The application falls under the banner of both farm diversification and rural tourism.

"Furthermore, the proposal comes with benefits both to the existing agricultural enterprise and also to the tourism offer as well as demonstrating a demonstrable benefit to the local area."

West Norfolk council's planning committee has been recommended to agree the plan when it meets on Monday, March 6.