Thetford residents raise concerns over plans to build six apartments at the back of Guildhall Street

A planning application to build six apartments at a site in Thetford which has become a ‘dumping ground’ has been met with concerns by residents.

The plans, submitted by Mr. M. Rouf, would see six apartments built on land at the back of 21-25 Guildhall Street which is near to several listed buildings.

The planning application said there was a need for affordable housing in the area and that the small apartments would be suitable for first time buyers/renters.

It also said the site was constantly being cleared of rubbish but recently the site had become a dumping ground which was very unattractive and that the site was not being used to its full capacity.

However, several residents raised concerns that there was not a designated place to store rubbish which would cause the site to continue to look like an eyesore.

Amber-Louise Brant said: “Whilst visiting Thetford I was alarmed and disappointed to see the amount of rubbish that was left at the rear of this property and whilst looking at the plans for the new apartments, I was looking for an area for the rubbish to be left out on collection day, and have not found one. This leads me to believe that the rubbish will be left on the public road and will undoubtedly end up littering the road and making it look untidy.”

Jelena Dolmatova said: “I visit Thetford regularly and have always admired the beautiful listed buildings that Thetford has. I am concerned that by putting a new building here it will not go with the current feel of the area and would in fact stick out like a sore thumb.”

Zoe Kirkham said: “My main concern towards these six flats being built is that how can the owner guarantee that only one resident per flat would be occupying it.

“My concern is overcrowding, which can result in anti-social behaviour, which has been experienced in the past and still to this day. My conclusions are drawn from the many incidents that have been reported from this location before, I cannot trust that the site will be maintained and looked after properly.”

The apartments have been designed to be energy efficient and will respect the scale and character of existing buildings in the area, the proposals said.

The statement added that bin and cycle storage will be sited within the back single storey projection.

Thetford Town Council objected for reasons which include unacceptable proposals for bin storage, increase in antisocial behaviour incidents, increase in traffic and parking issues, and an increase in fly-tipping.