Plans for a new stables and area to graze horses are in the works for a Suffolk village.

An application has been made to Mid Suffolk District Council for a change of use of land off Brockford Road in Mendlesham, near Stowmarket.

The land, currently agricultural land which is part of as site with permission for two houses, would become a site for the keeping of horses for the applicant, and there are plans to put up a stable building to house them.

If the application is approved, the stables building would be single-storey, 22.3 metres long by 4.8 metres wide, with three stables, a hay and bedding store, and a feed and tack room, along with a covered walkway.

The plans come alongside a separate application made by the residents to build two homes on the nearby land, as they wish to build their own home and keep their horses on the site.

The use would be entirely for the enjoyment of the residents and would not involve any commercial activities.

Set back from the hedging and road, the proposals also involve creating parking and manoeuvring space for at least four vehicles and a trailer.

Although a small cluster of homes sit along the road, the 3.4-acre site lies outside the village and is in open countryside.

According to planning application documents, there is no recent planning history relating to the use of the land, but it is understood that the land has been used for keeping a donkey in the past.

The application was referred to the Mid Suffolk Planning Committee, which discussed it in a meeting on November 8 and recommended the plans for approval.

The decision has been deferred for a committee site visit and review of the size and siting of the stable building.