Overdevelopment concerns have been raised about plans to build seven new houses on land east of Ipswich Road in Holbrook.

Thorcross Builders has submitted plans to Babergh District Council to develop seven dwellings, with a mix of two- and three-bedroom properties on the 0.357 ha of land.

If approved, two two-bedroom houses and three three-bedroom houses will be built alongside two three-bedroom bungalow chalets. Each property will also have a single garage, according to the plans.

Five homes will face Ipswich Road, with two properties set further back, and the vegetation bordering the east and the northern boundaries will be kept.

Additional trees, hedges and shrubs will be planted, but the site is too small to warrant provision of a play space.

Sustainability measures have also been incorporated in the design, including air source heat pumps and electric vehicle charging points.

Outline planning permission was granted for this greenfield development in 2019, meaning this application is to determine whether the layout, scale, appearance and landscaping are appropriate for the character and amenity of the area.

In the submitted planning statement, it states: "The proposals would deliver a well thought out scheme of high-quality design, appearance and materials, befitting of the village setting."

But concerned residents have pointed out the site lies within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty - Suffolk Coast and Heaths - and a statement on behalf of Holbrook Parish Council reads: "the plans represent overdevelopment of the site and do not reflect the local built character or settlement pattern of the surrounding dwellings".

Based on this, the parish council voted in February to recommend refusal for these plans.

And Suffolk Highways flagged that the inter-visibility for drivers turning would be "insufficient", despite the low number of dwellings being build.

The recommendation made to resolve this issue was accepted by developers and has been included in revised plans submitted in March.

Two other applications for housing developments in Holbrook - one for two dwellings and one for four - are also awaiting decision.