We are concerned that development of this site would have a negative environmental impact, both in terms of the loss of habitat on the site itself but also on the surrounding area.The site is adjacent to Poringland Wood and there is a pond within the site, providing a habitat for wildlife.

There is also a watercourse running along part of the eastern side of the site. The fall of the land is in the region of 5 metres across the site, south to north and some water draining from the site would therefore tend to flow through this onward to the woodland at Osier Carr and beyond. Surface water run-off from any development would extenuate draining into this watercourse, carrying with it pollutants from the site. Overall, we consider this site to be in reasonable quality natural environment where it may not be possible to mitigate the impact of development with the resultant negative impact of the site on the character of the area.

The Framingham Earl/Poringland area is known for surface water flooding problems and this site would fall within this water catchment area and likely to be at some risk of surface water flooding. There are several ponds on the site, evidence of the high water table and the nature of the sub-soil type, which contributes to poor drainage. The Land slopes down to the North and surface water would therefore drain across the site in this direction with a greater risk of flooding in the Northern part.

The site is also some distance from the local services, recreation and community facilities. There is access to public transport via the bus route on the B1332 which runs adjacent to the site, and to Framingham Earl High School, but it is more remote from the hub of services at the southern end of Poringland.

In terms of traffic management, we consider that access to and from the site could be an issue with regards to traffic turning into or out of the site, across the lane of approaching traffic, particularly at peak times and given the proximity to the school. Traffic-related issues are significant local concern and the development would contribute to this, placing additional pressure on the existing roads. This would not only affect the B1332 but also Arminghall Lane which is increasingly used by commuter traffic to circumvent congestion on the Trowse bypass/A146.

The immediate area has also experienced problems in the capacity of the waste water treatment network to cope with effluent during periods of heavy rainfall and we would have concerns whether the waste water disposal from this site could be effectively managed.

The site is not contiguous to the existing built-up area but would compound the ribbon development of the settlement, rather than compact development. This tendency will also contribute to the existing traffic issues referred to above. To allow this site to proceed would not assist in establishing a development boundary for the Poringland urban area and encourage a blurring of the demarcation between the urban and rural landscape.