GNLP0183

This development is too large for Reepham to support given the existing pressure on services and infrastructure although it is smaller, and therefore slightly preferable to GNLP0353. Reepham is in one of the most remote and difficult-to-access parts of Broadland. It is in an environmentally sensitive location, has historic protected landscape and townscape with no good access roads, and extremely limited traffic movement in the town itself. The town is disconnected from the major road network, public transport, major shopping, employment & services, and the new infrastructure being developed to support growth north and east of Norwich.

Highways
There has been no assessment of the impact additional car use would have on Reepham. There are 2 major 'pinch points' in relation to traffic. Firstly there is a right angle bend next to the church which is impassable by large vehicles. The only other road through the town has a single track T junction (Townsend Corner) on a small hill, with no pavements. Many of the school buses and other large vehicles have to travel via this junction and there are regular hold-ups and damage to the historic buildings along the narrow roads.

Whitwell road is. Along which this site is located, is one of the most direct routes into Norwich but it is not passable by HGVs and other high vehicles because of the 2 low railway bridges. There are also several 'pinch points' along this route where the road is only passable at a single track and blind corners. A significant increase in traffic will make this road much more dangerous as cars get frustrated with large vehicles and the school buses and try to overtake along unsuitable stretches. This road also runs alongside the SSSI and regularly floods.

The concern regarding traffic in Reepham is not primarily that of congestion, rather the additional risks that the congestion will bring. The increased risk will come about as a result of difficult manoeuvers to negotiate right-angle corners and narrow single-track roads with no pavements throughout the town.

Transport
Reepham is served by limited public transport which could not support work based traffic. Travel to work has to be undertaken by car. The nearest 'A' road is 3 miles way and existing B roads are problematic due to being extremely narrow and impossible to negotiate by large vehicles. Although it would be possible to walk or cycle to the primary school the school is already oversubscribed so children will have to be taken out of the town to school. A to B cycling (as opposed to leisure cycling which is popular) is difficult in Reepham because of the narrow roads and lack of footpaths to protect cyclists from large vehicles negotiating the narrow highway.

This site in particular would cause significant problems of congestion as traffic will clog up around any junction on the B1145. The blind bend at the bottom of the hill is a dangerous junction which would be made more risky by the increase in traffic. Traffic will be likely to travel in that direction to Norwich as there are so many difficulties with the roads in all other directions due to single tracks and sharp bends.

As the proposal is a commuter belt estate on the edge of a town with limited public transport in the form of buses and no train station it will have the impact of significantly increasing congestion and car emissions.

NFFP Para 32 - all developments that generate significant amounts of movement should be supported by a Transport Statement of Transport assessment

There has been no transport assessment, or transport statement. In the plan for Reepham, with its existing congestion and road constraints (including no access for HGVs), no account is taken of the need for efficient delivery of goods and supplies. Journey lengths for employment, shopping, and leisure are increased, rather than diminished, by the Reepham allocation. It does nothing to improve the quality of parking (quite the contrary, it will make this longstanding Reepham problem many times worse). The Reepham allocation diminishes, rather than promotes, the growth of sustainable transport in Broadland.

Schools
The primary school is at capacity and many children living in Reepham already have to travel to Cawsten or Bawdswell to attend school. The high school is unlikely to gain funding to expand significantly and while there is some capacity to add extra classes into a school that was originally built for less than half its existing number it is highly unlikely to be able to accommodate the large numbers of places that a large number of extra houses would bring.

Employment
Reepham's Economic Strategy states that:

"Reepham's economy is characterised by the presence of a small number of medium sized businesses (between 50 and 250 employees)and a large number of micro businesses (between 1 and 10 employees) with few small businesses in between.....
The dominance of one or two medium sized employers renders the local economy vulnerable if one of them were to close or move away.

Research and consultation identified that many businesses located in Reepham chose to establish themselves in the town because of the high-quality environment and attractive rural setting. In fact many of the significant constraints of the location such as limited broadband and mobile phone reception were outweighed by this specific consideration which is testament to how strong an appeal these contextual issues can have, particularly when business is not reliant upon daily face-to-face contact with clients or major infrastructure connections present in larger towns and cities.

The supply of high-quality small scale employment space, typified in converted barn schemes, is however, constrained. Planning policy is broadly focussed on undeveloped employment allocations geared towards light manufacturing estates and there is a significant disconnect between the owners of scattered rural premises and demand from prospective owners or tenants."

The strategy outlined in the document goes on to recommend the identification and support for mixed use, high quality developments which could help the micro-business expand when they need to would be the appropriate type of development for the town. The current plans for Reepham do not include any prospect of this type of development. Indeed they are likely to lead to commuter belt (people traveling to Norwich to work) development which will make the town centre vulnerable.

"Reepham has a good range of local retail businesses concentrated in and around the town centre. A number of these have been in Reepham for generations and are an important part of the character and economic base of the town. When asked, the local community have frequently commented that they value these retailers and that they add significantly to the attractiveness of the town.

However, common to many town centre or high streets, a number of the traditional retailers in Reepham are struggling and the situation has become increasingly fragile.

The fragility of the retail sector in Reepham was demonstrated in 2012 when the only bank in the town was closed for a number of months following a robbery. With the loss of this one activity, retailers reported a significant drop in footfall and trade as fewer people came into the town centre to bank and undertake other linked trip activities. The impact of the temporary loss of this one part of the retail mix in Reepham demonstrates how vulnerable the sector is."

The above statement, based on an objective assessment by external consultants, identifies the fragile nature of the town centre's retail sector. Although a large housing estate with increased numbers of residents will increase the footfall to some extent the parallel increase in traffic and associated parking problems, together with a commuter- led development focused towards Norwich is likely in the long-term to have a detrimental impact on the town's shops. Research has shown that the 'donut' model (historic town centres ringed by housing developments) of town planning does not result in a subsequent revival of old town centres.

Character of the town
The quality of the natural environment around Reepham is a key factor in its historic significance. The combination of high value landscape (in terms of wildlife, plant-life and landscape character) and the attractive and notable historic buildings in Reepham town together creates the unusual character and distinctiveness of this ancient market town. As one of the ONLY market towns left in Norfolk which retains this relationship between the town and the countryside this should be something to be cherished, not destroyed.

In his book Norfolk Origins: Exploring the Norfolk Market Town (Poppyland Publishing, 2012), the late Chris Barringer described Reepham's unusual historical profile and remarked that it is one of the LAST Norfolk towns not ringed by modern estate housing.

Environment
The town has rare Norfolk Valley Fens habitats in two locations (Booton and Whitwell) which bridge both ends of the town. These areas should not be seen in isolation but are part of a network of waterways that thread their way along adjacent sides of the town and effectively create a ring around the slightly elevated land on which the town has been built. The quality of this sensitive landscape is threatened by the large housing developments that are proposed at the edges of the town because of the impact on adjacent drainage and water quality. Norfolk valley fens are rare and sensitive lowland habitats that are being eroded throughout the county. They are particularly vulnerable to fragmentation.

If permission is given for further large housing developments in edge of town green field sites, any later assessments by Natural England or Environmental impact studies paid for by developers will only attempt to mitigate rather than prevent detrimental impacts on the environment.

Reepham is currently a good example of how these habitats can be sustained and improved if inappropriate development is not imposed on the landscape (to date). If the needs of Reepham were actually addressed in detail the landscape, built heritage and urban development could be improved in a number of ways but large housing estates on green fields are NOT the way forward. This is a 'one size fits all' approach with little regard for local circumstance.

Sewage
The Stage 2 Water Cycle Study, non-technical planning report, 7.15 RPA 1 Reepham, 7.15.5 states that,
"It is considered that wastewater treatment currently presents an overall constraint to growth and phasing in RPA1." and that

"Water Neutrality is theoretically feasible for the town.................so long as metering is introduced across the town for existing homes and low use fittings (including toilet flushing) are included in existing homes."

The increase in sewage effluent from the sewage works will form a significant risk to water quality and is a high risk to the maintenance of the County Wildlife Site water meadows and Whitwell Common SSSI which are immediately down steam of the sewage works.

As far as I understand, the Reepham sewage plant has had some improvement works because of local flooding and pollution but this has not solved the issue of sewage capacity.

The plant still releases 'water' into the Blackwater stream (and thereby the Wensum) which is at saturation point for certain chemicals. Thus we have a serious issue of water quality, pollution and an additional problem of water pressure.

Secondly, when Broadland CC and developers say the sewage plant can cope with a further 120 households of peak material what they actually mean is that either;
a. the sewage is held in the pipes and processed at a later time, or
b. sewage will be removed by large trucks and processed elsewhere.

The developers and land owners who are pushing for large housing estates to be built around Reepham have suggested that sewage could be dealt with by the use of reed beds. Reed beds are a really good solution as an end of system fine filtration and as part of other drainage schemes. They would have to be used in conjunction with a 'package sewage treatment plant', or part of land discharge or watercourse discharge.

All of these options have severe difficulties for all the proposed sites - unless the overall issue of the sewage plant is solved which would require a large investment from Anglian water (which as far as I am aware is not on their agenda) any future large-scale housing developments outside the settlement area are highly likely to cause severe problems for existing and future local residents.

Housing need
The numbers in 2014/15 requesting social housing in Reepham are low and the majority require small dwellings. This is unlikely to have changed significantly since then. This development will not provide this type of housing.

Local opinion
Reepham residents have overwhelmingly stated in repeated consultations (cumulative total of 1500 responses over 4 years) that large housing estates will not improve the town, indeed, the negative aspects are so great that anecdotal evidence is that several households are prepared to leave the area rather than live in the town after it has been spoiled by large green field developments. There is no evidence to endorse the view that large housing estates will improve the town for current or prospective residents.

Realistic Reepham carried out a survey during the last consultation exercise;
*376 people responded (∼20% response rate)
*Residents believe in growth appropriate to the scale and character of the town
*Acceptance of the need for more housing appropriate to the healthy development of the town, its micro-businesses and services
*An overwhelming proportion oppose building of large housing estates on the edge of the settlement: Completely out of character with the unique landscape/built environment and unsustainable given our geophysical location

Reepham might look pretty on a postcard but the reality is that it is poorly-served by public transport and remote from employment centres. Any future developments sanctioned in the town will only add to the use of cars. Although it has basic infrastructure, the doctors' surgery and schools are over-stretched with no apparent prospect of expansion in the foreseeable future. It makes no sense to the local community for councillors to be considering allocating additional site for housing estates in the town when there are already two large committed sites which have yet to be progressed in any meaningful way.

It is likely that the Town Council would find this site unacceptable because it is outside the settlement boundary and would represent an unwelcome and inappropriate development on one of the main access routes in to the town. Concerns were also raised about the lack of safe pedestrian access to the site from either Whitwell Road or Mill Road at the rear of the site.

I would support this site if it had fewer proposed dwellings. It would also need to include a high percentage of self-build and social housing if it is to accommodate the needs and character of the town. It uses up a valuable site which provides the town with its rural appeal. There are significant transport and landscaping issues which would need to be overcome.

GNLP0183 should be supported as it was also allocated for 45/50 houses by Broadland DC in their PENULTIMATE consultation for the Broadland Local Plan, prior to the late Broomhill Lane allocation.This site should now be the default option for additional homes in Reepham,as the GNDP proposes a further 1000 homes to be allocated in 10 Main Towns and Larger Villages and Reepham could take up to around 75 additional homes on this site and the Primary School site. This site was subject to pre-application consultations, involving widening of Whitwell Road and an Open Space area in agreement with Broadland DC

GNLP0183 is outside the existing town boundary and is a greenfield site.
The scale of development is too large, and it would have an "estate" type appearance which would be out of keeping with the existing rural setting.

The land owner would be happy to consider the proposed density to suit the context, there is an opportunity to develop a scheme that ensures that the approach into Reepham is carefully considered. Housing could be contained to follow the established high school boundary on the opposite side of Whitwell Road, if preferred, with a 'soft edge' to landscaping and layout, particularly when viewed from the south. The land owner would be happy to work with local bodies to establish design principles and ensure that any proposal would provide an attractive and positive approach into Reepham.