A far reaching planning blueprint setting out where hundreds of new homes should be built in Dereham, Shipdham and Swanton Morley up to 2026 is to be put forward by planners next week.

A far reaching planning blueprint setting out where hundreds of new homes should be built in Dereham, Shipdham and Swanton Morley up to 2026 is to be put forward by planners next week.

Breckland Council is drawing up a major plan, the so-called local development framework (LDF), dictating where future building will be allowed - including key sites in Dereham.

Land at the town's Old Maltings in Norwich Road has been lined up for 180 homes, with a further 240 off Greenfields Road.

However, it is a draft blueprint, with a report on the details set to go before the LDF task and finish group on Tuesday.

The report says the plan aims for land for 1,400 homes and 2,700 new jobs together with associated infrastructure up to 2026.

Where villages start an end will also be looked at to accommodate 3,000 homes on so-called rural windfall sites.

Sites thought to be the most sustainable will be given preference, according to the report.

The group has been asked to look at the plan and make their comments before the council's cabinet signs it off to be sent out to consultation.

It follows work by Capita Symonds, the outsourcing agency now in charge of Breckland's planning department.

The firm has sifted through thousands of possible sites for new homes and business submitted by land owners and developers and has come up with a shortlisted, which includes preferred sites and alternative sites for development.

A raft of sites have been thrown out - enough sites were put forward to build 23,000 homes.

A further six weeks of consultation on the preferred sites, alternatives and boundaries will follow Tuesday's meeting before the plan is sent to the government.

According to the plan, which considers the district's needs up to 2026:

Dereham needs 20 hectares of land for 600 new homes and five to 10 hectares of land for employment uses, this would include greenfield sites.

Over all, up to 2026, it needs to have an additional 1,971 homes - of those 1,371 already have planning permission or have been built.

The main sites picked are:

Enough land for 180 homes at the Old Maltings in Norwich Road.

Space for 240 homes off Greenfields Road with open space and a link to Wheatcroft Way.

Land for 200 homes east of Windmill Avenue.

Space at Rash's Green industrial estate and south of Dereham Business Park for employment use

Alternatives include land at the garden centre in Shipdham Road, Toftwood, land at Dumpling Green, land west of Drayton Hall Lane, Scarning, land at Swanton Road and land east of Dereham Business Park.

The report says there is enough infrastructure but that the town centre is constrained by historic sewers and improvements would be needed to rural bus services into the town and primary and nursery schools and healthcare provision would have to expand.

Shipdham will need 100 new homes

There is sufficient infrastructure but limited capacity in the primary school.

Sites picked include: Coal Yard, north of Chapel Street 50 homes, former Thomas Bullock School playing field 30 homes, south of Park Estate 20 homes.

Swanton Morley will need 50 new homes.

It is one of 14 villages labelled as local service centres in the plan. Due to lack of land within the current settlement boundary, greenfield land would probably be needed, according to the report.

Land picked includes: Gooseberry Hill 35 homes, west of Manns Lane 15 homes,