Firstly, I am astounded that these sites are still being considered.
Although I completely appreciate the requirement for additional housing, I cannot believe that shoehorning sites, into an already compromised country village, justified in any way, shape or form.
Coltishall is supposed to be an attractive rural retreat, part of the Norfolk Broads, somewhere holiday makers choose to visit for a relaxing idyllic break. This vision of Coltishall is fast being eroded, not only for the visiting public but also the permanent residence.
I moved here just over a year ago, with the draw of a quiet, safe village where my children were safe to attend the local parks etc. Unfortunately, I feel that the roads are already too busy, and drivers totally disregard the speed limit. This is made all the more dangerous by the very small pavements (often only on one side) particularly along the B1150, where you regularly see fresh red brick dust from new impacts with people's garden walls etc. In fact, I already avoid walking along this pavement into the village as the volume of traffic, thunderous trucks and narrowness of the road in general make it too uncomfortable. I've had a number of near misses in the car, where there's simply not enough room for the large trucks rounding the corner at the island garage and near the turning for Hautbois, forcing you to mount the pavement to avoid a collision or bringing the traffic to a standstill to allow them to pass. I've also had experience of wing mirrors from vehicles nearly clipping you as you walk along the single narrow pavement here. As for sites affecting Rectory Road, I find this incomprehensible! This being the ONLY quiet, supposedly safe-haven for children. Rectory Road includes the Primary School, Preschool, Park, Playing field, Doctor's surgery, football field, cricket ground & Village hall. These sites will suck traffic down Westbourne Road, which is already a daily gauntlet to run, with buses needing to use this road, whilst people park near both ends of it causing numerous hazards both leaving and joining it. Westbourne Road has only one pavement, at points it is too narrow for a bus and a car to pass, this forces you to mount the pavement. Pulling out onto the B1150 is blind & treacherous as people drive far too fast along it. Exiting onto Rectory road is also blind, and you often meet the bus rounding the corner and have to reverse or pull over to allow its passage. Rectory road itself is already used as a 'cut through' with people driving too fast, cars being double parked, due to lack of suitable parking space for the houses along it. I've seen police being called to move vehicles as the buses were unable to pass. With all this in mind at what point is any additional housing justified, when all it will do is draw larger volumes of traffic down streets which were NEVER designed to accommodate them, putting residents at higher risk. A couple of children have already been involved in accidents when alighting the bus in the village. The school and doctors surgery are already oversubscribed, my own children attend Worstead Primary School. There MUST be better site options situated with more modern road systems which are better equipped to deal with the inevitable traffic brought with new housing estates. Once Coltishall loses its identity there will be no return. The only thing that will come from this is an inevitable fatal accident, I certainly do not want to be party to that. I ask anyone considering ANY of these sites, come and spend a week living and using the roads here and it will leave you with NO DOUBT in your mind that this truly is an insane proposal. YOU CANNOT WAVE A MAGIC WAND AND MAKE THE ROADS IN COLTISHALL BIGGER, THEY ARE SIMPLY NOT SUITABLE. The ONLY thing that Coltishall needs is a bypass.