Developer proposes estate of 152 affordable homes

A 152-home estate proposed for a village near Norwich would ease the area's need for affordable housing, a housing association has said.

The proposal for Thorpe End, on the north-east outskirts of the city, has been lodged with Broadland District Council by Saffron Housing.

The estate would be built south of Plumstead Road, next to the Norwich to Cromer rail line at the edge of the village.

A spokesperson for Saffron Housing said the estate would be "in keeping with the character and identity of Thorpe End".

"[It] will enhance the future life of the community by providing sustainable, high-quality affordable housing," they said.

The 152 homes would be available for social rent or as part of shared ownership schemes.

Should the estate receive backing, it could be finished and occupied within four years.

Saffron has told the council it would go "some way to accommodate the considerable under-delivery" of affordable housing in the area, reports the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Affordable housing is defined by the government, but can mean the homes are sold or rented out at 20% below the market rate.

Saffron has pointed out that the developers behind four housing estates planned or already being built nearby have reduced the number of affordable homes they are promising.

These reductions have left Broadland – which has 1,016 households on its housing waiting list – with a significant shortage of such properties.

There has been an uptick in developers seeking to ditch affordable housing commitments in Norfolk, citing increased construction costs and high borrowing rates.

One mile away from the proposed Saffron estate, Hill Residential scrapped affordable homes from its estate at Racecourse Plantation, off Plumstead Road East.

The firm said it had faced "unprecedented construction costs" in trying to build its 239-home scheme.

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