Housebuilder given six-week deadline by council

Hopkins Homes has been given a six-week final deadline to complete paperwork and legal agreements

A developer has been told by a council that it has one final chance to solve legal issues that have held up a 1,100 home estate.

The Borough Council of King's Lynn and West Norfolk's planning committee said it had run out of patience with Hopkins Homes, which has been granted its third extension for the scheme in North Runcton.

The developer said it had struggled for nine months to finalise paperwork and legal agreements for the first phase of the West Winch Growth Project, which would see 4,000 homes built.

Martin Storey, a Conservative councillor for Feltwell, said he was "sick to death of [the developer] coming back time and time again" to ask for more opportunity to work on the issues.

The West Winch access road between the A10 and the A47 would be built after the first tranche of housing

Frustrations among councillors and officers became clear when the issue was raised as "urgent business" at a meeting on Monday, where the developer was warned by the committee it was on a final chance.

Storey added: "We have to make a stand for King's Lynn and West Norfolk."

However, the authority said refusing the scheme would have huge implications for it and the wider area.

The West Winch Growth Project is a key part of the council's plan to deliver 10,000 new homes in the next 15 years.

The scheme will also include numerous infrastructure improvements, including a new road, which will be built to ease traffic on the A10 and A47 – which are roads that are already near capacity.

A spokesperson for Hopkins Homes said it "continues to work closely with King's Lynn and West Norfolk Borough Council to progress the West Winch development".

In a statement, it added: "We remain fully committed to working with all parties to finalise the necessary agreements and ensure the project progresses."