Object

Representation ID: 21894

Received: 12/03/2020

Respondent: Barton Willmore

(Representations made on behalf of KCS Developments)

The GNLP advises that settlements within the bottom three tiers of the current framework would be merged into a single lowest tier of “Village Clusters” within a settlement hierarchy of just four tiers. This would serve to underplay the significance of Spooner Row as a service centre in terms of its scale, function and facilities as well as its capacity to accommodate future growth within the Cambridge to Norwich Growth Tech Corridor. This approach is flawed.
The grouping together of “Service Villages”, “Other Villages” and “Smaller Rural Communities and the Countryside” into a single lowest tier within a settlement hierarchy comprising just four rather than six tiers as is currently the case would significantly undermine the function and role that Service Villages can play in accommodating future growth.
Service Villages such as Spooner Row include a range of functions and services which are more closely aligned to the functions and service characteristics of Service Centres than they are to Other Villages which are defined by their offer of just a very basic, narrow range of services. Service Villages such as Spooner Row are much more sustainable settlements capable of accommodating much higher housing growth than Other Villages and Smaller Rural Communities and the Countryside. Spooner Row benefits from a range of local services such as primary school, village hall, church and a public house. Development of the settlement presents the opportunity to enhance these facilities and also provide a village shop. Spooner Row benefits from being well connected due to its situation along the A11 corridor and benefits from a railway station with services to Norwich and Cambridge which is key to its future growth.
If the settlement hierarchy is to continue to be rationalised into four tiers, we would recommend that Service Centres and Service Villages should be combined into a single 3rd tier and Other Villages combined with Smaller Rural Communities and the Countryside to form a 4th tier.
Proposed Distribution of Housing
In terms of the proposed distribution of housing within the hierarchy, the preferred option selected by the Council combines concentrating most of the development in and around Norwich and on the Cambridge Norwich Tech Corridor, with an element of dispersal to villages to support thriving rural communities.
Our Client supports this approach in principle as it would serve to ensure that there is a focus for delivering development along the A11 corridor, fulfilling the Spatial Objectives of supporting the Cambridge to Norwich Tech Corridor, plus locating growth near to jobs and infrastructure. The merging of a number of tiers within the Settlement Hierarchy however does not support this proposed distribution of growth, with Service Villages potentially missing out on growth by being categorised within Village Clusters even if they are situated within the Tech Corridor.
The GNLP proposes to allocate and permit housing growth of 4,024 homes within village clusters. This accounts for circa 9% of the total for Greater Norwich in the plan period. As discussed above, village clusters comprise of settlements which are currently categorised as service villages, other villages, smaller rural communities and the countryside. This accounts for a large proportion of settlements within Greater Norwich. The Core Strategy identifies 61 service villages and 39 other villages. The distribution of 4,024 homes across these settlements would result in a very low level of growth within each (circa 42 within each over the Plan Period) which is not likely to support their continued sustainability or viability.
There are clear differences between settlements within the village clusters and if the proposed hierarchy is to be adopted there needs to be clear recognition that larger villages such as Spooner Row should accommodate more growth than smaller villages which were previously lower in the settlement hierarchy.
Spooner Row is situated along the A11 corridor within the Cambridge to Norwich Tech Corridor. As well as being situated along the A11 corridor it also benefits from a railway station which is key to the settlement’s future growth. The proposed distribution of growth would result in this highly sustainable settlement which has the capacity to accommodate a generous amount of growth missing out on growth and the potential to improve its local services.
The distribution of growth should explicitly support more growth in certain service villages such as Spooner Row and more limited growth in other villages and smaller rural communities to reflect their sustainability and potential for additional growth.