Plans for 28 homes, two retail units and a restaurant in a Suffolk village have been approved nearly five years after they were first submitted.

Planning permission has been granted the development of a 1.85 hectare brownfield site off Dumpling Bridge Lane in Lakenheath.

The proposals were first submitted to West Suffolk Council in August 2018 and originally requested permission for 35 dwellings and four commercial units.

Formerly occupied by the Mathews garden centre, previous applications for a supermarket and 13 dwellings on the Lakenheath site never came to fruition.

Approval of these new plans will see the demolition of the existing dwelling and outbuildings to make way for the construction of 28 two-, three- and four-bedroom properties.

READ MORE: Progress on plans for 375 homes and a new primary school in Lakenheath

Submitted as a hybrid application, permission has also been granted for two retail units and a cafe/restaurant in the south-east corner.

Across the four years and nine months that the application has been in the approval process, 11 neighbour responses were received - all objections.

They raised issues such as inappropriate density, privacy intrusions and the impact on existing small businesses on the high street.