A new store and drive-through coffee shop may soon be built in Necton if plans are granted by Breckland Council.

The planning document, submitted by Necton Estates Ltd, details the demolition of an existing unused diner and garage on Norwich Road to replace them with a modern store, petrol station and coffee shop with drive-through.

The plans state that the petrol station and store would be operated by the Co-op and the coffee shop would be operated by Costa Coffee.

Both of the businesses would operate from early morning until late evening and there would be the possibility of 24-hour trading if required.

The Norwich Street site has been derelict since 2009 and after many years of not being maintained it has become an area which many people feel detracts from the appearance of the village.

David Matthews, chairman of Necton Parish Council, said that the village is likely to welcome news of the development because the site has been an ongoing concern for residents.

'The whole village is disgusted by the state of the current site,' he said.

'It's an eyesore, probably one of the worst in Norfolk. We have to do something about the entrance to the village and we've been pressing Breckland to get the location demolished and cleaned up for some time.'

He added that there have previously been plans to build 31 new homes on the site but they were never implemented and he welcomes the possibility that the new plans will provide an estimated 15 full time and 25 part time jobs.

The site is currently accessible from the A47 with secondary access from Tuns Road.

Among the planning documents are a number of letters from members of the community who express concern over additional traffic on already congested roads.

To address this, the plans propose closing the existing access points from the A47 and constructing a new slip road. Meanwhile, the Tuns Road access point will become restricted to allow only cars and light vehicles.

The plans are set to be discussed at the Necton Parish Council meeting in November.

Do you think the plans could be beneficial for Necton? Tell us your thoughts at steve.shaw@archant.co.uk.