A SITE which has housed one of Swaffham's biggest ex-employers and a former Bernard Matthews hatchery plant could be turned into 51 new homes.Thetford-based developer Abel Homes has bought the land off Castle Acre Road and submitted plans for 51 homes, ranging from flats to five-bedroom properties.

A SITE which has housed one of Swaffham's biggest ex-employers and a former Bernard Matthews hatchery plant could be turned into 51 new homes.

Thetford-based developer Abel Homes has bought the land off Castle Acre Road and submitted plans for 51 homes, ranging from flats to five-bedroom properties.

The site is currently vacant, with just a former hatchery building and one home on it - but was the Magnetics Devices/PED electronics factory, which employed 210 people at its peak.

It opened in 1968 and was part of the Pye group and was known as the “pink overall factory” due to the colour of the staff's uniforms.

After it shut in 1990 it was bought by Bernard Matthews and then closed fairly recently.

Abel wants to build 44 homes and seven flats with 89 car parking spaces. There would be four one- bedroom flats, three two-bedroom flats, 14 two-bedroom homes, 17 three-bedroom homes, 10 four-bedroom homes and three five-bedroom homes, all mostly two-storey with a few three-storey.

Solar panels would be fitted to 26 of the homes to provide hot water. Low-energy light fittings, composting bins, water butts and low consumption water fittings would also be fitted.

There would also be open space and a pond in a park-style setting and 30pc of the homes would be affordable.

The developer would also give £25,000 towards local education provision and put some cash towards open space and play equipment.

In a planning application statement the firm says: “The site offers a great opportunity to create an interesting and significant number of dwellings near the centre of Swaffham.”