Just two of the 32 swish apartments near the seafront at Hunstanton have found buyers despite the lifting of the residents-only restriction 12 months ago, leaving West Norfolk Council millions out of pocket.

Plans to build Styleman Court, off the resort's Southend Road, were approved in 2021 under the authority's previous Conservative-led administration.

Work was under way by the time it lost control of the borough to the Independent group after the local elections in May, 2023.

Simon Ring, deputy leader of West Norfolk Council (Image: Simon Ring)

Simon Ring, the council's deputy leader and cabinet member for business, said: "This administration had nothing to do with that decision and, indeed, some members of the current administration were vehemently opposed to the scheme at the time.

"However, we inherited it and simply saying that it wasn’t our decision doesn’t solve the problem.

"We had to see the development completed, understand why the costs had escalated so significantly, learn the lessons from what happened and, most importantly, decide........

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