A planning inspector has thrown out a bid to build dozens of houses on the edge of a village just outside of Norwich.

In proposals dating back three years, Carl Palmer applied to Broadland Council for permission to build 65 new properties on land off Holt Road, on the edge of Horsford.

Scaled back versions of the scheme, promising to build 47 homes, were refused by the council's planning committee in March 2020.

However, after Mr Palmer appealed the decision, the project's fate was placed in the hands of the Planning Inspectorate.

But the applicant has now been sent back to the drawing board after the appeal was dismissed, with inspector Graham Chamberlain ruling in the council's favour.

The proposals were initially knocked back by Broadland due to the site's location in the peripheries of the village, outside of its settlement boundaries.

It was argued at the time that future occupants would be unlikely to access the village's amenities due to insufficient pedestrian access.

Other objectors to the scheme included Historic England, which when consulted raised fears over the impact on the nearby All Saints Church in the village.

In a written submission to the appeal, Historic England's David Eve said building the homes would "result in harm to the historic significance" of the homes.

And while Mr Chamberlain argued the rural setting around the church was already "diminished" by existing housing developments, he agreed there would be some harm done to it.

He wrote: "The appeal scheme is not allocated for development and would be outside the settlement limits of the village.

"There is nothing of substance before me to demonstrate it would adhere to any of the policies that permit, in principle, development outside the settlement boundaries."

The inspector added that while additional houses would be beneficial, there was not sufficient justification for building outside of the village's settlement boundaries.

He added: "The proposal would deliver a sizable number of homes and this would benefit housing supply. However, there is no dispute that the council is able to demonstrate a land supply that is in excess of five years."