With regards to the proposal for around 4000 houses at Honingham Thorpe (GNLP0415 A-G), my reasons for being opposed to this development are as follows:

The increased traffic will make it too dangerous for me to walk around the village. I am blind and walk either with someone or by myself and use a white cane for guidance. The amount of traffic is already increasing through Marlingford and 4000 extra houses will only add to this. 905 houses have already been given the go ahead in Easton, 68 in Little Melton, 14 in Bawburgh and 1295 in Hethersett and this will inevitably lead to more traffic in the area; this is before the Honingham Thorpe development has been given the go ahead. There are no pavements in Marlingford for me to walk on. With the introduction of electric and hybrid cars this is a further problem to me as they do not make any audible noise. I would not know if there were any cars on the road, which would be incredibly dangerous, particularly when crossing the road. I would always have to rely on cars avoiding me, rather than climbing onto the grass banks, which I currently do in order to get out of the way of passing cars. Apart from eye sight problems, I suffer from a range of health problems, including ME, IBS and panic attacks. I also have a range of hearing issues after reacting badly to prescribed medication; these include tinnitus, hearing distortion and noise sensitivity. The increased traffic noise would make it unbearable living here as they exacerbate the symptoms. We already have the constant drone of traffic noise from the A47 and this would only add to it. I have found that walking and being outdoors are the only things that ease any of my symptoms so it would impact overwhelmingly on my quality of life. Because of my disabilities I do not have the option of driving or cycling somewhere else for a walk, so I would feel incredibly trapped if I was unable to walk in our village. I also need to live here as it is close to the Norfolk and Norwich University hospital, where I have to make frequent visits, so I could not move away even if I wanted to. It is also close to essential amenities which I use, including health services, and is close to Wymondham and Norwich, where I attend important health and social groups with the Norfolk and Norwich Association for the Blind and the Wymondham Chiropractic clinic.
The greater amount of traffic on the roads would make it even more difficult to attend these groups, particularly the ones in Norwich. It is already a nightmare getting in to and out of the city along the Dereham and Earlham roads and this would only add to the congestion. The only option for me is to travel in by car and not being able to attend these groups because of the traffic difficulties would lead to me feeling increasingly isolated. I do not feel there is sufficient infrastructure to cope so feel the proposed site is unsuitable.
If the proposed development at Honingham Thorpe did go ahead then I feel it would completely ruin the peace and tranquillity of the area. It would be impossible to enjoy the remaining countryside, whether it was walking round our village, sitting in the conservation area or spending time by the river if Marlingford and the surrounding area were to be subjected to continuous noise and air pollution.
This area is also a hotbed for rare and interesting wildlife, particularly birds of prey. If the Honingham Thorpe development did go ahead then it is inevitable that this would impact heavily on birds of prey, particularly kestrels, barn owls and red kites, as there would be much less suitable hunting ground for them to use. As numbers of barn owls and kestrels have declined significantly in the last ten years it is important that they are protected and encouraged as much as possible. Uncommonly seen birds such as the Hawfinch, cuckoo and grey wagtail, which are found in Marlingford and are on the RSPB red list for severely threatened birds, would also be effected by negative changes and losses to the local environment.

5 dwellings proposed for Marlingford GNLP0425

I am opposed to the five dwellings being proposed for development in Marlingford. It would be out of keeping with the natural feel and greenery of the village, thus changing the whole characteristics of the village. The area proposed for development borders the conservation area on one side and a garden on the other. It would be completely out of keeping with this part of the village and would represent an inappropriate form of development in a rural area. The area of land in the centre of Marlingford, which is surrounded by Mill road, Barford road and Church road, is largely made up of ancient woodland, the conservation area, a few gardens, cricket pitch and farmland. There are only a few houses dotted around this area. Any more dwellings would start to change this largely rural and undeveloped area, so that it was more built up like the surrounding edges of Marlingford.
If it was given the go ahead then I fear that it would only encourage more houses to be built in this section of Marlingford; further destroying the peace and tranquillity of the area, as well as impacting adversely on local wildlife and the Green Belt.

This area, and Marlingford in particular, is incredibly damp, resulting in many houses and much of the village being hit by frequent drainage problems over the last ten years. Many houses close to the suggested site have standing water in their gardens for much of the year and standing water on the roads and fields is an ever increasing problem. The proposed site is also in close proximity to a drainage ditch which is often full and over flowing with water. It would be crazy to build on this as the ground is so soft and sodden, as the water table is so high, and would only add to the existing drainage difficulties. Not only would this effect the new proposed houses but would exacerbate the existing drainage problems that many people are already suffering from.
Most households in Marlingford use septic tanks and many people are already experiencing problems with these, due to the high water table. Untreated sewage is running into open ditches and extra water content in the village is only going to worsen this problem. There is already insufficient infrastructure to cope with the current drainage requirements so more houses and more water is only going to add to these issues.

Extra houses would also put a greater strain on other services, such as broadband internet, which is currently not up to standard and unable to meet the demands of the village.
More houses will also mean more noise pollution from essential activities such as cutting grass, hedges and other household and garden maintenance, further impacting on the peace and tranquillity of the area.

In essence I, and many other people, enjoy Marlingford and the surrounding area for the rural, environmentally friendly part of Norfolk that it is. I wish it to remain a village and not become a part of Norwich. I believe that we should do everything we can to protect environmental areas such as this, not just for people today but for future generations as well. I would be incredibly grateful if this area was not approved for development and was allowed to remain beautiful and rural. Thank you.