Fresh proposals to build six new flats near Stowmarket town centre have been refused by planners.

Laurence Homes Ltd applied to Mid Suffolk District Council seeking permission to build the new homes in Creeting Road West in the town.

The proposed flats were planned to be constructed in the form of a three-storey building, at the site where a previous application for a three-storey office block was approved.

The office accommodation has not been constructed due to lack of demand in the aftermath of the Covid pandemic and the move to working from home, planning documents submitted alongside the application said.

The documents added: "It is considered that the proposed development of the site with six one-bedroom flats would provide a significant social benefit for the town."

Stowmarket Town Council objected to the scheme, saying the homes would be "under-sized" and would be built in a congested area of the town, making accessibility difficult.

Mid Suffolk's planners have now blocked the application, saying "no marketing has taken place to explore different opportunities for commercial use on site".