Comment

Representation ID: 19513

Received: 13/12/2018

Respondent: Tivetshall St Margaret & Tivetshall St Mary Parish Council

A refuelling station in Long Stratton (4.5 miles north on A140) closed in the 1990s due to lack of trade. Permission has been granted for a refuelling station a few miles south at the Scole roundabout. Therefore the refuelling facility is well catered for and meets local needs. Retail outlets already exist nearby at Pulham Market where a general stores includies a Post Office. Cherry Lane Garden Centre (0.4 miles north on A140) also incorporates a full grocery, hardware, furniture, handicrafts, haberdashery, clothing, books and cards, a restaurant and takeaway. It is served by a large car park. Goodies (1.5 miles north on A140) is a full retail butchery, also retailing local provisions, craft items and again incorporates a restaurant. Any additional retail outlets in the vicinity will detract custom from these existing businesses and are therefore undesirable.

Adjacent to the Cherry Lane Garden Centre/Store is Hillcroft Court. A former workhouse,
(redeveloped several times including a cottage hospital) this is now a residential site. Within its two storey structure are flats, apartments and two storey properties. We believe the former waste site could be developed to provide housing of a similar nature, as it has good visibility access onto Station Road, with opportunity for travel west towards Attleborough or direct onto the A140 for travel north or south. The traffic would not compromise road safety on the internal narrow parish roads. Recognising this is a brownfield site and is not a loss of open space and gives developers an opportunity with less restrictions of matching the existing character of the rest of the parish.