New house on A149 at Holme turned down over AONB fears

Developers named in council papers as Mr and Mrs Cooke applied for planning permission to build a single-storey three-bed property on the Thornham Road at Holme, near Hunstanton.

But a design statement said that in pre-application advice, a planning officer had warned the site next to Waxwings, near Drove Orchards, was in "an unsustainable location".

It adds the officer concluded: "The proposal will be too visible from beyond the development and negatively impact the open character of its location and setting within the AONB [area of outstanding natural beauty] these areas inform the officer's opinion that an application would likely be refused."

Plans for a new single-storey property beside the A149 next to Waxwings have been turned down (Image: Google)

Holme Parish Council also objected to the proposal. It said: "There are open views towards the site from the coast and EU protected sites to the north and from the coastal slopes to the south.

"Other than isolated houses there are few detracting man-made features in the surrounding landscape at this location.

"However, the cumulative impact of permitting development in the countryside to the east of the village is taking its toll on the natural beauty of the AONB landscape, particularly as communicated by the far-reaching views on offer."

It added there were "strong arguments for refusing the application" on the grounds the site is "not a sustainable location for development".

A leafy lane in the village at Holme (Image: Denise Bradley)

The design statement said a single-storey dwelling would be "unlikely to have a negative impact on the setting of the AONB".

It also said there was "an opportunity for a contemporary single-storey building with a high-quality green roof that encourages pollinators with the potential of a reintroduction of native species planting to increase the overall biodiversity of the site".