A renewed bid to demolish a former children's home in Dereham and build 12 flats in its place has been submitted to planners. The Dawe Charitable Trust, once based in Dereham, has applied to demolish the now run-down eyesore in Sandy Lane and build seven flats to sell on the open market and five flats to be offered as affordable homes.

A renewed bid to demolish a former children's home in Dereham and build 12 flats in its place has been submitted to planners.

The Dawe Charitable Trust, once based in Dereham, has applied to demolish the now run-down eyesore in Sandy Lane and build seven flats to sell on the open market and five flats to be offered as affordable homes.

The trust was based in Sandy Lane and helped homeless people by giving them places to live and work at the Sandy Lane Ceramics company, which has also left Dereham.

Peter Dawe, a self-made millionaire through setting up the UK's first internet service provider (ISP), Pipex, set up the charity but said that regulation had made it difficult to sustain.

Cambridgeshire based, he had come to Dereham because his sister was based here.

The charity had two ceramics workshops and eight bedrooms to help homeless people.

Part of the charity still runs, through the Cyrenians, in Cambridge. The Dawe Charitable Trust still runs but now predominantly as a grant giving body.

A similar planning application on the site by the trust was turned down in November last year by a meeting of the development control committee.

Councillors said they were unhappy with the design of the flats and wanted the development to be more energy efficient.

According to the planning application there would be 1.5 car parking spaces per flat.

All the flats would have 100pc energy efficient lighting and meet building control requirements for energy efficiency and carbon dioxide emissions.