West Norfolk councillors have been recommended to approve Freebridge Community Housing's proposals to redevelop the North Lynn Community Centre, in King's Lynn.

The social landlord wants to demolish the single-storey community centre and build 20 three-bedroom houses and two two-bed maisonettes on the oval-shaped one-acre site off St Emundsbury Road.

A planning officer's report says: "This proposal represents a significant opportunity to regenerate a long-vacant site and deliver 22 high-quality, affordable homes in a location where they are clearly needed.

"Freebridge is committed to ensuring the development brings lasting benefit to the local community."

The report describes the site as being at high risk of flooding to a depth of almost 2m if defences along the nearby tidal River Ouse fail.

But it adds the Environment Agency has not objected because there will be no ground floor bedrooms and floor levels will be raised.

"The majority of the built up area of King's Lynn is within an area of flood risk, this is particularly the case for this part of North Lynn," the report says.

"Whilst the application site is at risk of flooding, there are no known reasonably available sites within this part of King's Lynn that would be at a lesser level of flood risk."

The report adds almost all of the homes will be available for social rent, ensuring they remain "genuinely affordable" to support the North Lynn community

Properties will have high levels of insulation and be heated by air source heat pumps.

Proposals for the site also include planting trees and hedgerows, while bird and bat boxes will be installed on the new properties.

The centre has been unused since it was closed by Norfolk County Council in 2014.

It was later bought by Freebridge, which says the building is "boarded up and in a state of disrepair", adding it is not suitable for conversion.

Councillors on the planning committee will decide the application on Monday, April 13.

© Eastern Daily Press