Housing for Wells: Mayor and housing group praises plans

Holkham Estate has announced it wants to build the homes off Mill Road on the western edge of Wells-next-the-Sea. Some of the homes would be rented out to locals while others would become social housing or sold on the open market. 

Mel Catton, chairman of Wells Town Council, said that while some people were "up in arms" over the prospect of more housing, he welcomed the idea.

READ MORE: Holkham Estate plans to build 51 homes in Wells-next-the-Sea

Mr Catton said: “The town has to be grateful that Holkham is providing Wells with additional housing, regardless of what they look like.

"There are people up in arms, but personally, my view is any accommodation which is provided for the town, whether for tourists or the locals, is good."

Mr Catton said there should be no limits on who gets to live in the homes should they eventually get built.

He said: “Wells need affordable houses we all know that, but we have to be careful that we don’t put too many restrictions on the current situation in the town as I’m afraid we could deter tourism coming in.

“People are always against second homes, but tourism is the lifeblood of the town.

"If we didn't have tourism then Wells would die.

"We do not want to put a 'town closed' sign on Wells. We want everyone to work together."

An artist's illustration of how the proposed estate off Mill Road in Wells-next-the-Sea, Norfolk, could look (Image: Feilden+Mawson LLP/Holkham)

The project would be a mix of 'affordable' housing, rental properties and open market sales, with 55pc of homes allocated to "local housing provision"

Lynne Burdon, who chairs the group Homes for Wells, said the proposal was in line with North Norfolk District Council's local plan.

Ms Burdon said Holkham's approach was "good news for lower-priced accommodate in Wells."

She said: “This represents one step in the right direction for us, as we have 46 families waiting for homes, and six are homeless, so it is a big help.

Lynne Burdon, chair of Homes for Wells, (Image: Chris Bishop)

“We are desperate for more affordable accommodation in Wells and this will help towards that.”

Views expressed on social media were more mixed, with some saying it was the wrong place for development. 

Holkham says 10pc of the homes would be rented out directly to people already living and working in Wells.

The estate would have 1.5 acres of public open space, and 45pc of the homes would be offered for private sale.

James Bracey, Holkham's general manager for land and property, said: “We are keenly aware of the difficulty local people face in finding affordable accommodation in one of the most sought-after locations to live and visit in the country."

James Bracey, Holkham's general manager for land and property (Image: Newsquest)

Mr Bracey said the plan was part of Holkham's "plus plus" approach to boost housing for locals.

It aims to address four key housing issues in Wells - a diminishing private rental sector, a need for more affordable rental, the under-occupancy of larger dwellings, and a lack of affordable homes.

More than one-third of all properties in Wells are second or holiday homes, and the average price of a home in the town is more than 14 times the average household income.

Lord Thomas Coke, the Earl of Leicester and owner of Holkham Estate (Image: Roger Harris)

Holkham said it would lodge a planning application for the scheme until later this summer.

Holkham Estate owns practically all of the land surrounding Wells and is Norfolk's largest private estate at just over 25,000 acres.

It is owned by Thomas Coke, the Earl of Leicester and a member of the House of Lords.

Holkham is running its own public consultation on its website about the plans, which is open until June 21.