Policy 7.4 Village clusters

Comment

Representation ID: 22159

Received: 16/03/2020

Respondent: Pigeon Investment Management Ltd

Agent: Pegasus Group

Policy 7.4 – Village Clusters
6.20 The GNLP proposes a disproportionately high level of growth at the Village Clusters, a significant proportion of which are on as yet unknown sites to be identified in the South Norfolk Village Clusters Housing Site Allocations Plan.
6.21 Village Clusters are by definition less sustainable locations for growth and accordingly it would be expected that development would be restricted to that necessary to support rural or local needs. However, the GNLP seeks to direct more development to such settlements than to Key Service Centres which have a relatively good range of services, access to public transport and employment opportunities and play a vital role in serving the rural areas according to paragraph 333 of the GNLP. Similarly, paragraph 308 identifies that the Main Towns serve the wider hinterlands including these Village Clusters. This would suggest that the needs of rural areas would be more sustainably provided thorough development at the Key Service Centres and Main Towns contrary to the strategy proposed in the GNLP. The GNLP strategy is even less sustainable, given that development at the Key Service Centres and Main Towns provides the opportunity to enhance community facilities which serve the rural areas.
6.22 Furthermore, the reliance upon a specific contribution from the unknown sites yet to be identified in South Norfolk may require unsustainable sites to be brought forward rather than identifying more sustainable sites now. In the absence of such specific sites being identified and allocated this will also adversely affect the housing land supply position of the Councils and provide for a lack of certainty going forward.

Object

Representation ID: 22164

Received: 16/03/2020

Respondent: Norwich Liberal Democrats

Number of people: 3

We support the continuation of the settlement hierarchy as defined in the JCS with the primary focus of planned development in the Norwich urban area.
However the plan supports a level of growth in rural areas ‘village clusters in South Norfolk’ – 9% of total housing growth over the plan period - which is very hard to reconcile with Section 4 – The delivery of growth and addressing climate change and Policy 7.1 -Strategy for the areas of growth, and will have impacts for infrastructure provision.’ This approach is inconsistent with the emphasis expressed in the document on addressing climate change and significantly reducing carbon emissions in the Vision and Objectives and Climate Change statement, undermining the ability of the plan to deliver sustainable growth.
In addition there is concern about achieving this 9% growth (1,200 homes) in a more difficult village setting where new housing may be resisted.
The inclusion in the plan to site the additional housing in the most rural parts of South Norfolk in ‘village clusters’ in the GNLP but at the same time excluding details of those village sites or evidence as to the justification of such a policy may leave the GNLP vulnerable to challenge on soundness grounds at the public examination stage.
For the reasons stated above we do not support Policy 7.4 Village Clusters in South Norfolk.