As District Councillor for the Coltishall Ward, I vehemently object to site GNLP2019 being included in the emerging Greater Norwich Local Plan for several reasons:
We already have two allocated housing sites which have not yet been developed in the Coltishall & Horstead area (known as ‘Carried Forward Allocation’), being: Land at Jordan’s Scrapyard (Ref: COL2 Approx. 25 homes) and Land at Rectory Road (Ref: COL1 Approx. 30 homes), which give provision for 55 new homes. With the proposed development of an additional 25 homes (GNLP2019) this would total 80 new homes, which is a disproportionate number of new homes for the size of our village cluster which already lacks provision for necessary key services and infrastructure.
The main access for GNLP2019 is through ‘COL1’ onto a one-way single lane section of Rectory Road which has recognisable constraints for traffic, including the narrow road bridge over the Bure Valley Railway & Path, and the access onto the B1150 close to the point the children from the ‘Ling Way’ estate cross the North Walsham road on their supposed ‘safer route to school’.
As a member of ‘Community Speed Watch Team’ along with our local policeman, we have often observed an extremely high number of speeding vehicles and an almost constant stream of traffic on the B1150 just within the 30mph zone, where parents and children attempt to cross the road on their ‘safer’ journey to school, the existing flashing ‘Wig Wag’ beacons offer little effect to counteract the high speed of traffic. If this housing scheme is included in the GNLP, I insist Norfolk Highways gets the developer pay for a new roundabout on the B1150, to counteract the effect of additional traffic on this already dangerous junction, as public safety must be of paramount consideration in this decision.
The two-way section of Rectory Road is a busy residential road and is the main access to services and recreation for both villages, (Doctors Surgery, Primary School, Church Rooms the Village Hall and Recreation Grounds, and Football Club and grounds). Rectory Road is often congested with parked cars and buses have difficultly traversing this route which is an essential transport service for village residents and school children alike.
The Bure Valley Railway and Bure Valley Path which is adjacent to sites COL1 and GNLP2019, is an important part of our Tourism and Green Infrastructure plans in the Broadland District Council area. With the urban fringe of Norwich expanding exponentially in coming years, it will be increasingly important to protect our green spaces which contain a wealth of biodiversity for our residents and visitors to enjoy. I feel the proposed development is too close to the historic railway and outside the village boundary, and more new houses in this location will damage the natural capital of the Coltishall area.