Comment

Representation ID: 21988

Received: 16/03/2020

Respondent: Ms Carol Sharp

Table 8
Point 3 Green infrastructure
‘Developments are required to provide on-site green infrastructure appropriate to their scale and location.’ The guidance document on green infrastructure for developers should include:
• Green roofs and walls: at all scales of development ranging from house extensions to multi storey blocks. The city centre in particular is dominated by hard surfaces; green roofs and walls would create green stepping stones and connect up ecological corridors such as rivers and railway lines.
• Urban tree planting in and around Norwich: increasing tree coverage should be viewed as strategically important and not simply as an add on extra. As the 25 Year Environment Plan makes clear, urban trees make towns and cities more attractive for living and working, they bring people closer to nature and improve air quality. As well as increasing the amount of tree cover in the built up area, we would ideally like to see large areas of woodland for public recreation planted close to the Norwich built up area, similar to the network of forests planted under England's Community Forest programme. Although this is unlikely under existing government funding, the Government has committed to increasing woodland coverage in the UK and future funding for agri- environment
schemes might be at a level to stimulate the interest of local landowners.
• Private gardens; they are an important component of green infrastructure. We are seeing a trend for subdivision of gardens for housing development in Norwich and loss of these smaller green spaces is progressively chipping away at the city's green character. Although gardens will probably be regarded as an issue for local development management plans, we consider that this issue should be addressed at a wider level.

Point 9, Water.

We would like to see encouragement for initiatives for harvesting and storage of rainwater and water from flood management that can later be used for irrigation during dry periods. And SUDS using Green roves.
For greater transparency, annual monitoring reports should not only report the number of applications approved contrary to Environment Agency advice on flood grounds, but should give detail on these applications, why they were approved, what the advice was, what measures have been taken to mitigate flood risk, and how impact is being monitored. Monitoring should also be done on of Waste Water Treatment Works, both on the discharge of effluent into river systems, and on flood risk with foul water.

We welcome opportunities for the use of sustainable local energy networks but refer back to the targets for renewable energy mentioned above.