A small Norfolk village is set to get nearly 40 new homes under plans to accommodate the region's growing population.

Officers at South Norfolk Council have recommended plans for 36 new houses in Yarmouth Road, Hales, should be approved. 

The site is part of the South Norfolk Village Clusters Housing Allocations Plan (VCHAP), which is still under development, and identifies suitable rural locations for housing projects.

The document allocates sites for around 1,200 new homes that could be built in villages around the region by 2038.

Construction of 23 homes is currently under way to the south of the Yarmouth Road site, which forms part of the Raveningham Estate, with the 36 new dwellings expected to be the second phase of development.

The houses will range from one to five bedrooms with 10 affordable homes included as part of the development.

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Concerns were raised about the increased traffic along Yarmouth Road and the new housing being "completely out of scale" with its surroundings. 

However, officers at South Norfolk Council recommended that members approve the plans.

In a report to the council, they said: "The proposal will present some economic benefits from its construction and spending from future occupants of the dwellings, whilst environmental harms are to be mitigated.

"It is considered that it has been demonstrated that the site can accommodate the level of development proposed in a satisfactory manner."

The South Norfolk Village Clusters Housing Allocations Plan is still under development and carries "limited weight" at this time.

The council is in the process of reviewing responses from a public consultation about the project and will decide which sites to take forward.

The document will be used to help decide the outcome of future planning applications for dozens of villages across the county.

South Norfolk Council will decide whether to approve the Hales application at a meeting on May 8.