Nineteen homes are to be built in a rapidly growing Norfolk village, despite concern from locals and officials over the impact of the development.

An application to build houses on land north of Heath Loke, in Poringland has been given approval by government inspectors after previously being rejected by planners from the local council.

The population of the village has grown considerably in recent years, to around 4,300 up from 3,802 at the time of the 2011 census.

The homes will all be a mix of two-to-four bedrooms with six classed as affordable.

The development was originally rejected by South Norfolk Council (SNC) officers in October last year.

The planning officer expressed concerns over the "deliverability of the scheme" and whether it would impact the character and appearance of the area.

They also argued it went against council policy and fails to provide enough benefits for the authority.

Twenty-two neighbours also wrote to SNC raising concerns about the plans, fearing it would lead to too much traffic, and there was a lack of schooling and health care infrastructure in the area.

In their application, the developers said the scheme would "round off" existing development in the area, filling in an area next to existing housing.

While the government inspector accepted there was a "degree of localised harm" in the plans they rejected the concerns raised by the community and council, overturning the authority's decision.

They argued the site is "sustainably located" with a range of facilities in surrounding areas, and there is no evidence suggesting the development would impact highway safety.

The inspector also said the development would help meet the council's five year housing supply, which is required by the government.

The inspector said: "Although the proposal would result in some harm to the character and appearance of the area and a limited conflict with [council policies], this would result in only limited environmental harm which does not demonstrably and significantly outweigh the benefits."

The application approved by the government inspector covers only the broad details, with specifics like design and appearance to come in a future planning application.