Plans to develop 170 homes in Hadleigh which have been in the pipeline for more than a decade look set to progress, after revised proposals have been put forward.

Persimmon Homes is set to have an application for 172 homes on land south of Ipswich Road approved by Babergh District Council's planning committee next week, subject to financial contributions to the community being agreed.

The proposals also include a bid for outline planning permission to develop 10,000sq ft of employment land featuring retail shops, food and drink outlets and offices.

Outline permission was first approved in November 2009, and while details were approved in July 2011 for 166 homes those plans were never pursued.

It led to a fresh application for 171 starter homes being lodged in 2017, which the application is essentially a revision of.

In its application, the developers said: "The proposal for new homes helps to meet the identified housing needs of the community, providing a wide choice of high quality homes, improved opportunities for home ownership and the creation of a sustainable, inclusive and mixed community.

"The proposal has been designed to respect the surrounding environs and safeguards neighbouring residential amenity.

"Furthermore the proposal offers bio-diversity enhancement, specifically through the appropriate design and planting of the on-site public open space and additional tree and hedgerow planting along the boundaries."

According to existing land allocations, the site is one designated for employment use, but officers acknowledged in their report that it is "ideal for residential development" because it backs on to existing homes.

It added that nothing else had been brought forward while the land was allocated solely for employment use in the last decade.

But the bid has attracted firm objections from the parish council which claimed there were a "lack of details on the proposed infrastructure".

The Hadleigh Society said it supported the principal of a mixed development but had "several serious reservations" including "inadequate parking" and "poor residential designs".

Babergh's planning committee will meet on Wednesday, where it has been recommended for approval.