But before anyone spots a nearby field on a map and starts worrying about the arrival of a housing estate, there is an important distinction.

The 800-plus locations are possible sites put forward for consideration, not sites approved or currently proposed for development.

Each will now have to go through a screening and assessment process as the Borough Council of King’s Lynn and West Norfolk begins the lengthy job of drawing up its next Local Plan.

And judging by the response to the first consultation, local people certainly want to be involved.

More than 300 responses were submitted through an online survey, council officers spoke face-to-face with almost 300 people, more than 450 emails were received and residents left over 1,500 comments on an interactive map.

Councillor Jim Moriarty, Cabinet Member for Planning and Licensing, described the response as “phenomenal”.

“This is a phenomenal response and I would like to thank every person who took the time to engage with us, as well as the officer team who went to great lengths to give people the opportunity to take part,” he said.

“We were keen to hear from people about their priorities for development, and ideas for where development should be located.

“We have learned a great deal from people’s feedback and with such a significant response as this, we feel really confident that a good range of local views have been heard.”

So what happens to those 800 sites?

The consultation was the first step towards creating a new Local Plan for West Norfolk.

Once eventually adopted, the plan is expected to guide development across the borough for around 15 years, so decisions made through the process could have a significant effect on how our towns and villages grow.

As part of the initial exercise, people were asked what they thought about sites which landowners had already suggested might be suitable for development.

Landowners were also given another opportunity to put forward land for consideration.

Combining those submissions with sites suggested previously has produced a list of more than 800 possible locations.

That doesn’t mean 800 developments are heading our way.

The council must now assess the sites against planning evidence as well as considering the views received from local residents.

Some will inevitably prove unsuitable as that process progresses.

The important consultation comes next

This first exercise was described as a “scoping” consultation. In other words, it was about gathering ideas and establishing what matters to local people rather than presenting a finished plan.

The next major milestone will come in 2027, when the council expects to publish a draft Local Plan.

That is when residents will be able to see which sites have actually been proposed for inclusion and comment on them.

Following that consultation, the plan can be revised before another round of public consultation takes place.

It will then need to be examined by independent planning inspectors before eventually returning to councillors for adoption.

Councillor Moriarty said the feedback already received would help shape that work.

“We can now use these views as part of the evidence base for drafting our plan,” he said.

There is, then, still a long road between somebody suggesting a piece of land and a digger arriving on it.

But with decisions in the new Local Plan potentially shaping West Norfolk for the next 15 years, the response to this first consultation suggests plenty of local people intend to keep a close eye on where that road leads.

Photo supplied: Planning Policy team members Sandra Homcenko and Henry Anthony welcomed people to discuss the scoping consultation at The Place, in King's Lynn.