GNLP0549

I would like to note that even though our property adjoins this site no notification was received of the proposed inclusion in the next plan, it was only through rumors and web searches that I found this out.

The issues with this site are the same as those which which resulted in the unanimous rejection of 2016/0713 in the adjacent field.
The site/village is not sustainable due to the poor road/path from the village to the services in Mulbarton over 1.5 miles away. The paths are substandard width as is the road, with regular flooding causing a serious hazard for any pedestrians. There are no acceptable measures to reduce the average 42mph traffic speeds. Further to this Hawkes Lane is a single track lane, which cannot carry any further traffic burden.
Serious concerns were raised by residents and planning committee members about the existing level of flooding around this site, along Hawkes Lane, Marsh Lane and the adjacent common, a county wildlife site with a population of Great Crested Newts.
The site is adjacent to 1 of the listed buildings of the village - Home Farm and within 50 m of Mergate Hall and old Peculiar.

Hawkes Lane is unsuitable for increased traffic flow. Applicant may be able to widen just at their field - but does not solve the problem further down the single track lane. Highways have already objected to site at the Nurseries on Hawkes Lane as road not suitable (ref 2017/2807).

Hawkes Lane often experiences flooding - this would be exacerbated by urbanisation of this field.

Site is in view of Grade II listed Mergate Farm and Grade II* listed Mergate Hall. 2016/0713 was rejected to protect these heritage assets.

These comments are made on behalf of the land owner.

This site is still available for consideration for residential development. Development of the site for residential purposes could come forward for either private or self-build/custom build dwellings. Dwellings could be positioned within the northern part of the site to relate well to the existing housing. An access point could be proposed off Hawkes Lane which will connect into the existing PRoW which runs along the western boundary. There is scope to introduce widening of parts of Hawkes Lane which will be of benefit to the development and existing residents.

Ref site in GNLP0549, Barracks Field, consultation of 08/01/2018 and HELAA, December 2017.
In 1997, we objected under ref. 6944 to the site which at the time was put forward as part of the South Norfolk District Council Local Plan. At the time we pointed out the shortcomings of Hawkes Lane, the lack of village facilities, pedestrian safety and the failure to promote green policies by discouraging the use of motor vehicle. This site did not make the final selection.
Again in the run up to completing the Site Specific Allocations in 2015, this site was excluded.
Within the last few months under ref 2017/2807, the expansion of the Nurseries site on Hawkes Lane was severely criticised by Highways Department due to pedestrian and highways safety issues noted as references SHCR03 and SHCR07 in their report.
Since the site was proposed in mid 2016, Home Farm House has gained Grade II listing whilst the adjoining Bracon Ash common has become recognised as an outstanding Countryside Wildlife Site. These two points were not mentioned in the application assessment now being reviewed.
Hawkes Lane continues to be a narrow roadway with a particularly blind and dangerous bend in addition to the dangers highlighted by the Highways report, whilst the alternative access to and from the B1113, Mergate Lane, continues to deteriorate, is extremely narrow, regularly floods and is far short of the necessary quality to meet current regulations. This route also has a blind exit on to the Flordon Road with southbound traffic leaving the B1113 at this point doing so without slowing down.
One would shudder to consider the additional damage to verges and the road edges that would be caused by HGV's servicing the building of this proposed site.
The site is poorly drained. Any change in the current slow infiltration by developing the site will exasperate the flooding problems in Mergate Lane and Marsh Lane. Also, there is case law that states that Riparian Rights are lost once there is a change of use to a housing development.
The site is 2.25 kilometres from the local School and Doctors and involves 1 kilometre of poor or non-existent pavements to reach the Cuckoofield bus stop. This site would fail the sustainability guidelines on this matter.
In conclusion, we think the potential development offers only disadvantages, increased dangers to new and existing residents and we therefore object to the site being included in the current GNLP sites

The parish council discussed the 5 sites currently put forward within Bracon Ash.
GNLP0549
The site has been put forward for 9 houses but there have already been 3 separate planning applications for this site, all were refused. The last one for 5 houses was turned down for a number of reasons including objections from the highways department due to the inadequacy of the road, the lack of footpaths in Hawkes Lane and the B1113 to Mulbarton, plus the unsuitable exit into the B1113.
The parish council objects to this being included in a local plan because of the inadequate road and lack of footpaths but also because the site is extremely wet and there are no riparian rights to enable surface water drainage.
GNLP0299
This site already has planning permission for 15 houses. There is approved planning permission for 7 houses therefore there are already an additional 8 houses that could be built over and above the 7 approved.
The parish council objects to this being included in a local plan
GNLP0195
This site is on the Bracon Ash and Mulbarton boundary. The access to this site would have to be via the existing housing in Mulbarton.
It would be very separated from Bracon Ash and residents would feel more affiliated to Mulbarton. The parish council agreed that this site should not be included because there should be a strategic gap maintained between the two villages, Mulbarton and Bracon Ash.
The parish council objects to this being included in a local plan
GNLP0026
The parish council does not object to this being included in a local plan.
GNLP1055
The parish council was totally opposed to this site due to the size. It is a huge development on a green field site impacting directly on the grade 2* listed Stanfield Hall. This building is an outstanding landmark and it would be severely impacted by building all around it.
This proposed site would impact on several parishes creating significant traffic on unsuitable country lanes. The B1113 would be unable to cope with the additional traffic throughout its length from Wymondham to Harford Bridge.
There were serious concerns that one of the largest industrial employers, Lotus Cars, had been subject to repeated complaints due to excessive noise pollution from its test track. The environmental health team has been involved on a number of occasions and the people currently affected by the noise nuisance are located much further away from the track than the proposed development. It would be a significant detriment to anyone living so close to either the factory or the test track.
Lotus Cars has many confidential projects and these are tested on their track; the need for privacy and isolation is necessary to protect the company, any intrusion could have a negative effect on the longevity of the company in this location.
The parish council objects to this being included in a local plan
The parish council remains deeply concerned that South Norfolk Council seems to be getting an unacceptable proportion of development and Norwich City Council has very little.
The plan is named the Greater Norwich Local Plan but the reference in the title does not seem to apply to the city of Norwich itself.

Barracks Meadow, Hawkes Lane, Bracon Ash - Site reference: GNLP0549
I am writing after our discussion a few weeks ago where I expressed our concerns on behalf of the Bracon Ash Residents Group about the suitability assessment for Barracks Meadow (site reference GNLP0549). Thank you for taking the time to speak with me.
As you know, it is our contention that the suitability assessment is misleading. The way the assessment is structured attempts to create an inaccurate impression that the site is suitable for development.
Although we understand a more detailed assessment will be carried out in due course, we request the traffic light analysis is corrected before any next steps in the planning process.
Bracon Ash Residents Group (BARG) is a group of villagers which was formed in 2016 to oppose the development of 52 houses (SNDC planning ref: 2016/0713) in Bracon Ash. This application, which was directly adjacent to Barracks Meadows, was refused. However, there is no reference to that decision of refusal in the assessment of Barracks Meadow. It is surely important and relevant to note within the assessment conclusions that the impact on heritage assets was specifically one of the reasons for refusal of the previous, adjacent, planning application ref 2016/0713. As a result of the decision made by the South Norfolk Development Management Committee, Barracks Meadow (marked with a blue cross in the photo below) should, in fact, be classified as red - not amber - under the Historic Environment analysis.
Having taken professional advice from a leading Conservation Architect and Historic Built Environment Consultant it should be noted that development of this proposed site has the potential to cause harm to the setting of several listed buildings and to the character of Bracon Ash.Site constraints to be taken into account are:
Home Farm House (circled yellow) - Grade 11 listed and immediately adjacent to the western boundary of Barracks Meadow. Mergate Farm (circled green) - Grade 11 listed (one of only two thatched buildings left within Bracon Ash) and adjacent to the south east of Barracks Meadow on Hawkes Lane. A further three listed buildings (circled red) to the south on Mergate Lane' which are separated from the site by Bracon Common a County Wildlife Site, Mergate Hall, Grade 11* listed (*which denotes its high status), The Dower House and Mergate Hall Cottages are both Grade 11 listed buildings.
The above listed buildings have an historic relationship within an agricultural community all being in the ownership of the manorial estate of Mergate Hall until 1946. This site is part of that historic relationship and within the setting of two of those buildings.
All development proposals must have regard to the historic environment and take account of the contribution which heritage assts make to the significance of an area and its sense of place. Development of this site will cause harm to the significance of these heritage assets, whose settings and historical relationships will be adversely affected.
The Form and Character description for Bracon Ash, included within the South Norfolk Local Plan, makes reference to Barracks Meadow:
'Within the village, there is an important gap to the north of Mergate Farm, which maintains the segregation between the farm and the village '
Given the importance of this existing open, greenfield space, development of the site will join the existing built-up core of the village to the older, significant historic buildings which sit in more open spaces and will have a negative impact on the character of Bracon Ash.
Any development on Barracks Meadow will not be sustainable. Barracks Meadow is not located within walking distance of local services in Mulbarton. With this in mind, the proposed scheme does not promote Government or local authority aims for sustainable travel.
The suitability assessment for GNLP0549 is also inaccurate in the section relating to Accessibility to Services. This is currently identified as amber within the constraints analysis and states in the conclusion that the 'GP surgery, schools and employment opportunities are within 2km. This is incorrect. The distance is actually >2.25km, therefore the assessment should be red not amber.
The conclusion within the suitability assessment also fails to address the accepted and significant highway safety issues along the B1113 from Bracon Ash to Mulbarton. The narrowness of the footpath facilities are substandard, not continuous and do not comply with 'inclusive mobility' standards.The B1113 is a busy main distributor road/designated HGV route and measures just 5.6 metres wide in some places (also substandard). In conjunction with a narrow footpath of just 1.2 metres wide this footpath is hazardous for people who will walk it.
As was previously demonstrated, the speed of vehicles on the B1113 is often well in excess of the 30mph limit. Vehicle speed measurements which were conducted found the 85th percentile speeds to be 39.4mph travelling northbound and 42.2mph travelling southbound along this stretch of road.
An extract of an email exchange between John Shaw (NCC Highways) and Tim Barker (SNDC) regarding planning application ref 2016/0713 highlighting pedestrian intimidation and the substandard footpath is attached at the end of this report.
The limitations of Hawkes Lane were mentioned in the suitability assessment but we want to draw your attention to the recent refusal to build a further eight houses on the Nurseries site, off Hawkes Lane - SNDC planning ref: 2017/2807. see attachment for further info
A further example of the inaccuracy of the suitability assessment for GNLP0549 is under the Flood Risk section. Barracks meadow is frequently waterlogged with localised flooding. Throughout the year flooding is also evident along Hawkes Lane and the adjoining Marsh Lane and Mergate Lane.
Significant negative impacts would arise from a development that is inappropriately placed and is widely out of context with a rural environment. we therefore contend that as a result of evidence from experts we have commissioned over the past two years in relation to the previous application (2016/0713), that the harm to the environment would be significant and would outweigh any benefits of future development on Barracks meadow.

Also sent in further evidence that the flood risk on Barracks Meadow (GNLP0549), categorised as amber within the HELAA report, is incorrect.

The photographs were taken in April with flooding on all areas of the field. This is a regular occurrence.