GNLP0319

Our biggest issue is having the proposed houses right behind our bungalow. We have small children and wouldn't feel happy with them being in the garden. Everyone along our street are in bungalows and there are NO houses within the area of the proposed development
All other properties in the village are NOT over looked and that was the main reason why we brought our bungalow as loved the fact we had lots of privacy. This will also have a massive impact on the noise in our peaceful village. There is nowhere in the village with this amount of properties all bunched together.
Looking at the plan it seems to be more sensible if it was swapped over and the houses were moved to the far end of the field and behind our property was the just the open field. Then none of the houses would over look any other properties We would then not have an issue.

There are many reasons we object to this site.
Firstly we have just built a log cabin in our back garden for my holistic therapy business. The reason we chose to build this in our garden and one of the attractions of the business is that it is set in a peaceful countryside village. The meadow behind gives the feeling that you are in the middle of no where. When the construction starts the noise that will come from this will have a significant affect on my business that is designed for relaxation purposes.
Secondly no other part of the village has this many houses over looking into their back garden. We have a child as do our neighbours and we chose to live where we do so they can play freely in the garden without being over looked. If we wanted to live on an estate we would live on one.
Plus having houses at the back of our property will have a impact on the value of our house if we choose to move.
If the houses were to move to the back of the field where the free space is shown on the plans of the meadow we perhaps would not object to this as they would not impact us so much.

I feel deeply that as a rural village we have not got sufficient infrastructure to cope with such a large influx of properties.
Access will be an issue as will the demand on local services such as nearby Drs surgery.
We have no resources within the village to cope with extra vehicles, water pressure is already an issue within the village and this will be compounded by the additional households

This site backs onto properties and is not in keeping with the the distribution of properties. A site of this size would change the character of the village.

Re. Plots GNLP2103 / GNLP2041 / GNLP2042 including GNLP 0317 / 0318 / 0319
Listed below are points and where relevant any comments in relation to the above sites for consultation development within the villages of Tivetshall.
The Tivetshall villages are rural villages and have been for a long period of time, the infrastructure is not in place and therefore we personally feel that all the below comments contribute towards reasons for NOT putting these plans forward for any further action.
* A140
Junction into the village has poor accessibility in and out
Turning Right out of the village during the busy periods such as rush hour, it is quicker to go left, round the roundabout and back towards Diss as the A140 is ever increasing in volume of traffic. The speed of the traffic makes it difficult to turn right out of the junction.
Turning left into the village from the Direction of Diss to Norwich, the junction is very tight and on several occasions the following vehicle/s either brake very hard, or swerve out to overtake the turning vehicle heading into the path of oncoming traffic, accidents have occurred and with the proposal of extra housing this is a potential serious accident waiting to happen.
* Commuting Location
Commuting to Norwich from the Tivetshalls is very timely with the single carriageway of the A140, heavy traffic and frequent accidents this could deter potential buyers.
Commuting to Wymondham / Attleborough etc - it would be expected that village traffic travels along A140, across A47 and then A11 but from experience / knowledge people drive through village and join onto the B1134 - the village road is single track in many places therefore any additional traffic would cause significant disruption / road safety concerns.
* Road Through Village
The road through the village is single track in many places, the corners are blind, there are no paths, no street lights. There are no notable passing places for 2 way traffic. On occasions residents park on the street which causes congestion at peak times with 2 way traffic. Residents currently walk, exercise dogs, cycle through village and the current traffic flow is dangerous, so the potential of extra properties would result in congestion and possible accidents, on several occasions whilst walking through village we have had to jump onto people's lawns to avoid being contacted when 2 vehicles are passing in different directions. (We do wear High Vis when dusk / dark but this is sometimes ignored, but many residents do not and dark clothed people are simply just not visible) The road is just wide enough for farm / agricultural machinery but in places they encroach onto peoples land as road to narrow, therefore the additional construction vehicles that would be required for any developments would cause a huge disruption / impact on the village road/s.
* Public Transport
Public Transport is very limited and very far between and mainly has to be caught from the A140 at the top of the village which requires walking through the village - refer to the previous heading Road Through Village.
* Sale of New Properties
Currently there are 5 properties up for sale in the Tivesthalls that I know of (possibly more, these have been empty / for sale for several months so is Tivestshall a desired location for potential future purchasers?
* Water Pressure / Sewage
The current water pressure is diabolical, when showering if someone else in the property flushes the toilet, switches on the washing machine ... the pressure drops so you get scolded by the increase of hot water or it trickles out the shower head.
The Sewage system is very dated and at times does not cope with the current amount of properties in the village - no need to explain the implications / issues!
The drainage of any excess of water is very poor in wet weather - from experience when we have heavy rain we have had to lift man hole cover in our drive way to assist with lowering the height of the water level to prevent flooding.
Any potential future properties considered the whole infrastructure of water, drainage / sewage would need serious investment - not just for new properties but for existing ones also.
* Electricity / Gas
The Electricity supply is dated in the Tivetshalls and is prone to power cuts in bad weather conditions.
There currently is no gas in the village.
* Ditches
The Ditches through the village need constant maintenance to keep them clear as they are all prone to filling / flooding when wet weather conditions persist.
My garden has on several occasions has partially flooded due to over flowing ditches and high water levels - poor drainage of the surrounding ground / area.
Additional housing would only cause more drainage issues
* Broadband
The Internet speeds are very poor in the Tivetshalls, currently there is plans for a Community funded Broadband but I believe this is still seeking investment.

* Doctors / Dentists / Hospitals
All local Doctors surgeries are already fit to bursting with minimum 3 week waits for routine appointments. There are no local Dentists Accepting NHS patients. The nearest Hospital is the Norfolk & Norwich which is approx. 25 miles away
* Schools
All the local popular primary schools are full, the village primary school is relatively small and possibly could cope with some new admissions but again the road infrastructure prevents it being safe to walk children to school and parking near the school is relatively tight.
The local High Schools - Long Stratton (4 miles), Harleston (7 miles), Diss (8 miles) are all a distance away which requires children to catch buses from the village to and from school Currently children catch the buses from outside Roger Martins Garage which is absolute carnage in the mornings at 7:45am with parents driving up to drop the children off, children crossing the road to the buses, there would be no chance a child could walk from the bottom of the village to the bus stop at the top of the village without the risk of being injured - Again refer to Road Through Village
* Shops / Supermarkets / Amenities
There are no shops in the village, the nearest small convenience shops are located in Pulham Market (2.5 miles), Dickleburgh (3 miles) or Long Stratton ( 4 miles) The nearest Supermarkets are either in Diss (8 miles) of Norwich (16 miles) There are no facilities within the Tivetshalls other than a village Post Office that has basic General Post Office Facilities and sells a few cards. There is one public house situated on the Main A140 and the Village Hall which holds small village events.
* Wildlife / Public Footpaths
There is significant wildlife in the Tivetshalls, any significant developments would be detrimental to them. We frequently walk the public footpaths which from the plans are bordering, if not on some of the proposed sites which would affect natural habitats. We have witnessed, owls, bats, squirrels, rabbits, deer, birds of prey, birds, butterflies, frogs, toads, newts, ducks, pheasants, rabbits, hares and many other species.
* Location
The reason for purchasing our house was based on the Location, being rural with views of the countryside, no light pollution, no noise pollution, the distance away from the hustle and bustle of town / city life. A small (less than 20) residential properties possibly would fit in with the ethos of the village but anything large scale would not be in keeping.
* Conclusion
All in all we personally feel that the infrastructure and location in the Tivetshalls would not sustain any large building / housing developments and as such should be ruled out of any consultations where major / large scale development would be considered and trust all the above comments will be taken into consideration.

Could I raise objections/comments to the following:

GNLP2128
This was given permission for a waste transfer station and would be suitable for an
ongoing industrial use as it has been in the past. It is questionably not suitable for
housing nor retail due to the closeness of the roundabout and for housing would be in an isolated area.
Comment: To be used for semi-industrial use as has been allowed in the past.

GNLP2103
This site could take a small amount of housing as it is near the centre of the village
school, village green and village hall and playing field and it's facilities.
Comment: No objection if sensitive housing development.

GNLP0317
This would extend "ribbon development" and would create even more linear
development in the Tivetshalls. Object to this site.

GNLP0319/GNLP0318
A sensitive small housing development would enhance this area with possibly a tree
belt to give a buffer space to existing bungalows. The site is relatively close to the
village school, village green and village hall and playing field facilities.
Comment: No objection if sensitive housing development.

GNLP2041
Such development of this site would change the village forever. It would be not only
intrusive to existing properties but completely out of character with the existing
village landscape. There are no facilities to cope with such a large development, the
agricultural land is part of the Claylands Living Landscape of the South Norfolk
District. It is prime agricultural land and has within it a pond and wildlife habitat.
Drainage/sewers would not cope with such a development and to make it viable a
developer would have to have a large number of dwellings to pay for large
infrastructure costs. Roads would not cope and just because near the A140 this would increase commute traffic which on a highway is very much overloaded at present. This should remain as prime farmland for growing crops and this site should be rejected.

Objections:
* Part of the Claylands of South Norfolk
* Development would change the characteristics of the Tivetshalls forever.
* Should remain as prime food growing land.
* Facilites cannot cope with such large development. Such as sewer/roads etc.

GNLP2042
Again such development of this site would change the village character forever. It
would be not only intrusive to existing properties but completely out of character with the area. Fadens map (see below) shows clearly that this area was covered by a common from Bonds Road to the A140 and Rectory Road to Ram Lane and on the on all sides there are historical cottages adding character to what is a sensitive rural
landscape. Again there are no facilities to warrant such a large development.
Drainage, sewers would not cope and there would have to be a large development to
allow for this. It should remain as prime agricultural land for growing crops. As above it is part of the Claylands Living Landscape of South Norfolk and should be retained as such. Development would change rural aspect forever and this site should be rejected.

Just because Tivetshall St. Mary is near to the A140 does not mean it has to have
large developments such as GNLP2041/42 which will increase a lot of traffic onto
what is an overloaded road network. This should remain as prime farmland for
growing crops and this site should be rejected.

Objections:
* Historically a Common with cottages surrounding the area.
* Part of the Claylands of South Norfolk
* Development would change the characteristics of the Tivetshalls forever.
* Should remain as prime food growing land.
* Facilites cannot cope with such large development. Such as sewer/roads etc.

New Sites put forward for the Tivetshalls

1 We question the need for more housing in the Tivetshalls.

2 There are no employment opportunities available in the Tivetshalls.

3 The public infrastructure in the Tivetshalls - roads, electricity, telephones,
Broadband, public transport, - is very poor.

4 The proposed sites go against the work by Tivetshalls' residents, through their
Parish Council, since 2006, making a community heart with the Village Hall, Village Green, Playing Fields, together with the school.
The development of this 'pedestrian-safe' core Village facility by the residents has protected the Tivetshalls from the blight of Ribbon Development.

5 The proposed sites are by road between the A140 and the Tivetshalls, it already carries an increasing volume of traffic at speeds dangerous for pedestrians of all ages, cyclists and cars entering and leaving properties.