I'm writing the following with honesty and integrity to offer my insight as a resident in the immediate area of the proposed development site. I appreciate we need to increase the housing capacity within Norfolk and as such we all need to play a part in this. My insights will highlight some of concerns around the suitability of this site and the impacts of developing it but also will hopefully provide views around its development if the concerns and impacts were addressed.

I have been a resident of Wicklewood living opposite the proposed site for the past 8 years.

Flood Risk
The proposed site currently works as a soak away from the surface water from the top of the village running down. This soak away protects the river from being deluged with large volumes of water in a short space of time, slowing the journey to the river and thus reducing the risk of a flash flood. The road acts as a conduit for the water but the land either side of the road provides the opportunity for the water to soak away and disperse. The properties at this part of the village are significantly set back away from the road in order help provide a similar soak away for the road as the primary drainage does not cope with the volume of water. Even with the properties set back there are occurrences of surface water flooding at some properties near the proposed site. The bottom north end of the proposed site is lower than the properties on the other side of the road which provides protection to current properties giving opportunity for the surface water and stream to soak into this part of the field. Removing this capability will add more risk to the existing properties. There are often times after heavy rain that water sits on the proposed site, albeit at a low depth.

Village amenities and Accessibility
Amenities in the village are fairly limited and are all situated at the South end of the village, the opposite end to the proposed development site
These are listed below with their approximate walking times from the proposed plot
- Village Hall (including playing field and play area - 12mins
- Nearest bus stop (single provider,hourly service) - 15 mins
- Pub - 15 mins
- Primary School - 20 mins
When we move to our current house we had full intentions to visit the public house and use the bus service at the south end of the village. We fairly soon realised this wasn't safe. The route to South end of the village where the amenities are consists of narrow roads, minimal footpaths and no street lighting. Vehicles are often observed travelling at excessive speeds along the high street, embarking on the journey on foot in low light levels is a challenge requiring you to have your wits about you to keep safe. A particular concern area is the walk along the high Street from the proposed plot up to the junction with Low Street and Church Lane. Vehicles exit blind from Church lane towards the North end of the village directly in the path of oncoming pedestrians, I have seen a number of concerning near misses at this point. Considering that children would need to take the same route to the local school concerns me greatly and would urge planners to visit the site to experience and appreciate this. The age demographic of resident's currently living opposite the plot means there are currently very few or no young children taking this journey today.

Services
A big concern for the proposed site is the further impact on the already struggling sewage system in the area. Adjacent to the proposed site is a pump that pumps the sewage away from Wicklewood.
With a fairly recent increase of additional sewage from Hingham there are regular odours from the pump site. There are also very regular visits from Anglian water to the pump station as it appears the pump isn't up to the current job. In addition with any heavy rainfall the sewage system struggles and manholes covers in the north end of high street have lifted releasing raw sewage into the area. It was promised with the more recent development near the windmill that the water drainage and sewage system would be put right but the problems still persist. New development often bring promises of improvements to the infrastructure but i have concerns as to whether these promises are kept.

Wildlife
Living opposite the land over the years has given the opportunity for us to observe the rich wildlife which makes use of it. Roe and Muntjak deer regularly route across the field and in to adjacent woods. The field is a hunting ground for red kite and buzzards and in the later and early part of the year egrets will appear in the field. The open land near the stream on the proposed site provides for bats which we regularly observe from our property opposite. At night the bats emerge from the adjacent woods to feed and can be seen darting around the field in early evening. This stretch of the river is also frequented by kingfishers, their habitat will no doubt be affected by unsympathetic development of the land.

Development Boundary
The proposed plot is currently outside the development boundary for Wicklewood. This was one of the key elements for our decision to move to our property knowing that the land would not likely be considered for development. The outward views over the current field from the properties opposite the plot will clearly be impacted if developed on and the value of their properties impacted. The wellbeing and quality of life of the current residents would also need to be considered many of whom are in their later years, 2 years of development could be a big unsettling part of their lives.

Open space / Landscape
The current landscape may not be considered to be of outstanding beauty but it does provide a very appealing open space at the north end of the village leading up to the stream and the wood. The current properties on the other side of the road to the proposed development site are also set back giving a further sense of open space. If the land was to be developed it would need to be in keeping with the density and position of the properties on the already developed side to maintain the balance and sense of open space. By having the development significantly set back from the road could also provide a similar soak away for surface water drainage.

Transport
Public transport to Wicklewood is limited to an hourly service from just one provider which runs until evening time only and is not available on Sundays. This is via a private service provider so could be at risk at anytime of route closure. Access from and to the proposed plot as mentioned early is 15 Minute walk on sometimes treacherous roads. I'm sure this would most likely mean the residents at the proposed plots would need transport of their own so needs to be considered when planning for the site.