GNLP2176

Honingham is a small village of approximately 100 homes and whilst it may benefit from suitably scaled development a proposal of this magnitude (which would increase the size of the village by some 50%) would be detrimental to the character and appearance of the village as well as the amenities of existing properties. As such it appears to be a proposal which does not meet the requirements of the Broadland Joint Core Strategy or the Development Management DPD.

Contrary to the indication given in the proposal there are in fact few local amenities or facilities. There is no school, doctor's surgery or indeed garage. Schooling and GP surgeries are only accessed via other communities, they are already oversubscribed and because public transport in Honingham is irregular and limited these can in practical terms only be accessed by private car. The addition of 50+ houses therefore represents an unsustainable imposition on a small rural village.

The proposed location is also prime quality arable land which occupies an elevated position in the village. Development would impinge upon existing properties in Dereham Road and create unacceptable impact upon the character of the area. There are brown field sites available which are far better suited to development of this scale.

Firstly, as many others have said, Honingham is a small community. The fastest way to destroy a community is make it grow too fast. Adding 55 houses would increase it's size by 50% and at a stroke, overwhelm yet another rural village.

Most households have 2 cars nowadays. That means a further 100 vehicles using country roads every day and adding to an already congested road network. The Berry's Lane/Mattishall Road route is already very busy. Just look at the queues approaching the A47 junction between 8:00 and 9:00am. That road is totally unsafe to walk on during that time.

To say a development brings prosperity is a delusion. Even if there was a village shop, I bet almost all the new residents would use the nearby Sainsburys. Very few would work locally. Most would need to hold down a job in Norwich to afford a mortgage.

Norfolk is one of the few counties where there are still wildlife havens. We need to ever mindful of the damage we are inflicting on our ecosystems. New developments in such areas are extremely detrimental to our already fragile ecosystems

Unless there is insufficient land in reserve to meet demand for the next 15 years (as I'm led to believe is not the case) then what purpose does allowing this development serve? (Other than allowing the landowner and developer to make money)

Any proposed development that overruns existing communities should be rejected out of hand

The size of the development is wholly inappropriate for the village with a housing density that will overpower the fundamental essence of this rural location.
Public transport is non existent, relevant amenities such as schools and medical facilities are inadequate. Drainage from this site has caused flooding in the past and an enhanced and upgraded system will, in all probability, need to be put in place.

A development of this size in Honingham is completely inaproriate as it will increase the size of the village nucleus by 50%.
There is not the facilities to cope with such an increase & there are far more appropriate sites which could deliver a smaller number of dwellings that would blend in with the village. The proposed development would be a blight on the landscape & would create overlooking to existing properties. Valuable agricultural land would be lost to unnecessary development to satisfy profit for a remote stakeholder.

1) This applies to GNLP0411, GNLP2176, GNLP0415R-G, GNLP0415R-A and many of the other proposed sites around Norwich. I am strongly against development on farmland. Fields and pastures are a precious, finite resource and in a world of increasing population, climate change and increasing political tensions (trade wars and repercussions of Brexit to name but two) we must do all we can to preserve and enhance their productivity. We should not be building on them. We have a duty of care to coming generations and our decisions must not damage their wellbeing. Farmland will be needed for its original purpose and we must bear that crucial fact in mind. Building on farmland also runs counter to efforts to promote local produce and cut food miles.

2) The proposed developments would greatly overload existing road infrastructure.
a) Planned changes to the A47 are in response to today's congestion problems and the addition of houses on the proposed scale would recreate the problem and, in consequence, negatively affect air quality.
b) Honingham has no shop, post office, school or doctor's surgery and a very limited bus service. Further development would greatly increase local traffic. Steps would also have to be taken to prevent The Street (Honingham's principal road) being used by vehicles from elsewhere to access the A47.

This proposed development is totally out of proportion to the character of the quiet village of Honingham. This would increase the number of dwellings in the village centre by 50% .
Services and facilities within the village are NOT as stated in the application which is most misleading. There are several more appropriate smaller sites instead of this.
I feel that the development of this site would subsequently lead on to the development of adjoining land .

The scale of this proposed development is completely disproportionate given the current size of the village.
The land upon which the development is proposed sits considerably higher than the level of Dereham Road (and in turn a number of the properties on the opposite side of the road sit considerably lower than the road)
This will create an imposing mass and considerable overlooking issues to the properties opposite.
There are not the facilities to cope with the additional dwellings & there are far more appropriate sites elsewhere.

We are strongly opposed to the proposed site GNLP0415R-G

We would like to point out that the land south of the Mattishall road is part of the former Grange Farm located on the northern side of the Mattishall road Honingham. The proposed site is adjacent to and runs parallel with land that formed part of Brick Kiln Farm ( latterly Greenacre Farm). To the north of these two pieces of land is land that originally form part of Honingham Thorpe/Thorpe Farm.
If this land is allowed to be built on and connected to the completely unacceptable proposed development east of Colton road Honingham it will be nothing less than urban sprawl.
If the proposed Honingham Thorpe Garden Village is to be given any consideration then it
shound be confined to Honingham Thorpe.
Building on the proposed site of course raises environmental issuses particulally drainage and contamination of the chalk aquifers that feed water supply to Honingham properties in theTud Valley, and run off/ flash flooding to the river Tud in the centre of Honingham. r,'here will be also the loss of yet more good agricultural land.

Proposed Site GNLP2176
Honingham is a small unspoilt village and as such should be preserved as part of Rural Norfolk We are opposed to the large number of properties proposed. Any new dwellings development shoud be confind to infilling with properties built faceing on to the existing roads, or may be a small close but not of estate proportions as proposed. At this stage we are not able to give a view on what the consequence of so many dwellings would have, but drainage and flash flooding is already a problem in this area.

See attachments:
Flood Risk and Drainage Feasibility Study
Preliminary Ecological Appraisal Report
Archaeological Desk-Based Assessment
Initial design market square analysis
Phase 1 - Transport Strategy

I attach comments re: site GNLP2176 on behalf of the Rampton Property Trust.

The site is suitable, available, achievable and viable, and is deliverable within the first five years of the Greater Norwich Local Plan period. There are no constraints that would prevent the site from coming forward for residential development.

See attachment for full details of submission