Doubt surrounds the future of a 4,000-home development that would double the population of a Norfolk town.

The Attleborough Sustainable Urban Extension (SUE) has been in the pipeline for years, with outline plans first lodged submitted to Breckland Council by Ptarmigan Land in 2017 and approved in 2020.

But months of delays mean work that was expected to begin this summer has been pushed back to next year.

The original timeline for the project would have seen the first homes completed over the coming weeks but crucial details about its design remain undecided and no construction work has started. 

This site in Attleborough has been earmarked for 4,000 new homesThis site in Attleborough has been earmarked for 4,000 new homes (Image: Homes England) Government agency Homes England owns the first parcel of land earmarked for development, which will include 4,000 houses, two primary schools and a new link road. 

Its role is to accelerate the development, which is now expected to get under way in early 2025.

While outline planning permission has already been granted for the project, a more in-depth application for the first phase of development remains undecided by Breckland Council - with further details having been added to this over recent months. 

A spokeswoman for Homes England said: "We have required additional time to refine our designs and appoint a contractor to undertake the work.

"This is a complex project and as a public body we need to ensure we achieve the best possible outcome."

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Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner during the Labour Party Conference in LiverpoolPrime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner during the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool (Image: Peter Byrne/PA) This comes amid plans to massively increase the government's national housing target and require councils to re-calculate how much land they must allocate for new housing, to ensure supply is boosted in every part of the country.

Breckland Council, which faces an increase of around 50pc to its yearly housing target, has criticised the changes, which will put pressure on the authority to give the green light to more housing developments across the district. 

Breckland Council officesBreckland Council offices (Image: Ian Burt) The first phase of the Attleborough SUE will see up to 1,200 homes built on the site, which spans a total of 536 acres - equivalent to around 300 football pitches. 

Breckland Council has been approached for comment.