Former WW2 lookout posts near Fakenham could become holiday lets
An unusual project has been proposed for a series of abandoned bunkers
It was a once a lookout post, used to keep a vigilant eye out for unfriendly visitors.
But it could now serve as the perfect holiday spot for more friendly incomers to the county.
Plans have been lodged to create five unique holiday lets on the site of a Second World War observation post and Cold War-era subterranean bunker at South Creake, near Fakenham.
The scheme would see five pre-fabricated, box-like structures placed next to the two grade-II listed military heritage assets.
A statement provided as part of the planning application describes the units as “a contemporary take on the form of the Orlit Type B Observation Posts from the Cold War”.
It adds that the raised structures would each be accessed via their own set of metal steps, and would face towards the north Norfolk coast.
The scheme will be designed to produce net zero carbon emissions and will incorporate ground-mounted solar panels to produce renewable energy for the holiday lets.
An earlier version of the project had included a wind turbine, but that has now been removed so as not to interrupt the area’s country views.
The observation post was built to record aircraft and was equipped with rudimentary sighting and plotting equipment, along with a telephone.
The Cold War bunker would later have been built at that location in order to utilise the existing observation post.
The scheme proposes to restore both assets, to “offer visitors a better understanding of the site’s history”.
Nearby, there is a third historic asset – an Iron Age hillfort located at the junction of Bloodgate Hill and Castle Lane.
Evidence of activity on the fort is thought to go as far back as the Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age.
The site is also located a short distance from Nelson’s Loop, a popular intermediate level cycling route named after west Norfolk’s historical connection to naval hero Admiral Lord Nelson.
The council had been due to issue a decision by September 21, but has not yet done so.