GNLP2044

Having moved to little Melton 5 years ago specifically for the small community/country living, it saddens me to see so many proposed sites, I u detests day the need for 'growth' but this little village is simply not equipped for so many houses, my own property backs directly onto this proposed site, where I can currently enjoy privacy with my family, situating houses at the bottom of my garden will not only obscure current country views but will also greatly impede on my privacy. I did not buy my property with a view to having numerous strangers watching me, if I wanted to live in that environment I would have purchased a property on a cramped new estate, and it wouldn't matter how far from the boundary you built houses, they would all have a birds eye view of my garden and property.

Lack of school facilities infrastructure and unsafe roads for the volume of traffic.

Objection

There are already too many new developments in the village. The road system does not support them let alone anymore. The village is not designed for a large number of houses. A very small shop wth limited parking. No Dentist or doctor and the school is very small and would not cope.

The idea of building 400-500 homes on the other side of a village that's already being joined up to Hethersett by a similar number on the southern edge is a farce. The roads are too small to cope with the traffic volume as is, the infrastructure is not here to cope. And it's a violation of precious countryside.

I object refusely to this proposed development in a very small village with no real ammenities. The school is too small for such a development. Braymeadow lane will become extremely busy and can't cope with that amount of traffic. We saw that with the Watton road closure when It was used as a through road. The site is also too close to several conservation areas. With all the several other decelopment proposals this site will just be too much and Little Melton will be absorbed by all the other developments already ongoing in the surrounding areas. I strongly object!!!

Many houses already built and still building at present which is making the boundary between what is a great village and Hethersett a stones throw away.
The access for potentially 400-500 homes (2 cars per household - up to 1000 cars!!!) is not fit for purpose. It sometimes take 15 mins to pull out from junction on to old Norwich rd already due to the built up traffic coming from the ever expanding Hethersett. Village shop has been for sale for a long period of time (years). We have a great village playing field foir the open space quote, and brilliant primary school (which will be over run).

Object strongly, the village couldn't cope with that number of houses, the roads are single track, school is small. This would be taking green belt that separates us from Norwich. Character of the village would disappear.

There is not enough infrastructure to cope with so many new houses.
There is no doctor or dentist in the village, the school will not be able to cope meaning that some existing residents may get declined a place for their young children approaching school age. The public transport is very limited and due to the nature of the roads through the village it is not suitable to increase this. Due to the large developments in hethersett there is a huge increase in traffic through the village which the roads will begin to struggle to cope with.
Existing residents are already suffering a decrease in market value in their homes due to the recent new builds, more homes built will only decrease this further and do absolutely nothing to boost the economy of the village.

I strongly object to this area of land being built on because Little Melton simply cannot cope with another 400-500 houses being built here. The infrastructure cannot cope with the extra traffic, also over the years our services have become so much worse as the number of houses keep going up. We now have a really poor bus service with no buses at all at the weekend, we only have one shop that may not be open for much longer, there is no doctors or dentists or post office. The school here is also quite small so could not cope with a large influx of children. I know other people will object so please listen to our concerns.

I think the village is to small to have anymore houses. It's like a race track as it is.

No new school or doctors or any new services being built to accommodate all the people who would inhabit these new houses. No road upgrades being made to already busy roads which are becoming rat runs for cut through traffic. Over crowding a beautiful village and taking away beautiful green spaces which is why we live here!

The infrastructure of the area can not cope with this level of development - gp, shop, school, roads. A development of this size would completely change the character of a small village and be completely out of proportion with the number of existing dwellings. I am strongly against a development of this size

No Services,no roads which are already proving to be a health and safety issue. There will be no villages left at this rate, Little Melton is a small village build ,more properties to be built on brown field siteswhen building can be done from scratch.

Please don't permit this development to go ahead as Little Melton is already rapidly losing it's sense of village identity and is in danger of becoming a suburb of Norwich!
There has been a very substantial increase in car traffic through the village in the last 10 years, such that parents are no longer prepared to allow their children to cycle to high school in Hethersett. This increase results from current house building both in the village and on the north side Hethersett land and the NRP. The back roads were never designed for the volume or speed of modern traffic and congestion at main road junctions leads to increased 'rat running' by motorists to try and avoid delays. There is poor (and expensive) provision of public transport to service the additional population, with the bus service from Little Melton being substantially eroded, such that there is no longer a direct bus into Norwich from the village.
There has been a lack of additional provision to the doctor's surgery in Hethersett despite the massive increase in population. To get an appointment at the local doctors surgery patients need to queue at 8.30 each day, which is a major problem for working patients.
There is currently only one shop in the village that faces an uncertain future, which most people need to drive to buy even their basic supplies.

This is a very large site against a very narrow road. It is outside the development boundary and stuck out on farmland, which will affect food growing and the ecology. The traffic will increase enormously. The village does not have the facilities to support it. There is little in the way of public transport, which is being cut back all the time. Why anyone thinks putting these dormitories onto small villages is a good idea is beyond reason.

poor provision of public transport
lack of services in the village
no doctor or dentist
one small shop with very limited parking - which may close if no buyer comes forward
poor road system
roads already facing huge increase in traffic from developments at Hethersett and NRP
loss of gap between the village and neighbouring towns and villages, which are all expanding

The village lacks the infrastructure to cope with more houses. The road system is poor, public transport is limited, there's no facilities - no drs, dentist, shops and the school is very small.

This development would lead to a loss of gap between the village and neighbouring towns and villages which are all expanding. Little Melton has always had a village community, which will be lost with more development.The name 'Little' should be respected. There is very poor public transport and the road system is not up to more traffic, with congestion already happening along Braymeadow Lane. There is a lack of local services, with no GP or Dentist and a small village shop which is under threat of closure now and the village school already well over subscribed.

While my complaints here are targeting GNLP2044 it's worth noting that some will also apply to the other sites as well.

As a citizen of little Melton and living with my family, I have heard much about these developments, and suffice to say we are not only unimpressed, but appalled at the size of the current developments, given eh lack of current infrastructure. I do recognise that development will be necessary and that housing is in short supply, however in order for the expansion to be successful and not harm the quality of life in the village the infrastructure is going to need great improvements, for reasons I shall now explain.

To begin with, I'll look at the local services close by to the proposed site, this site is currently on Barymeadow lane, which puts it at a junction with the school and the pub on one side and the shop on the other. In addition on the side of the shop there's the road towards the Dual carraigeway, which is the major route out of town.

These are presumably the services stated vaguely on the development plan. However in truth these services are actually quite lacking. THe current school is about the size of the same houses that are being developped, and does not have the space to accomodate a few hundred more families moving into town,

Meanwhile the shop is currently in a state of uncertainty with the threat of them closing down if a new owner doesn't step up to purchase the property. said shop also currently mostly stocks food, meaning that in order to get proper groceries buyers still have to rely on the supermarkets in the nearby town of Wymondham.

In addition, the village is lacking greatly in the healthcare department. The village currently has no dentist, doctor, or pharmacy in the village whatsoever, with the nearest availble being the dentist and pharmacy in the nearby town of wymondham, up to half an hour away, and the doctor's in Hethersett, which while closer to the village is already overtaxed with an excess of patients already, meaning new doctors will be needed even with their services. All in all there simply aren't enough services in the village as of yet to support expansion as of yet.

This is also not to mention the biggest problem, the road services. The road in question will be bringing in a potentially significant amount of traffic, most of which will be aimed at the shop and road out of the vilalge.

There are two problems with this, the first being that the village has a large parking problem. The shop can only support two cars and many of the families in little melton have too many cars and family members to park them all on their driveways, meaning the road is currently littered with cars on the path and constantly requiring cars to stop and allow traffic from the other side to pass. This is also an issue further back down the road towards the school, where the traffic from this road will no doubt bring traffic attempting to head towards the shops to a halt. In short the extra traffic will not be able to flow.

In addition to this problem with traffic flow, there are also the lack of traffic calming measures and additional road maintenance. As it stands, the only major change to the roads in little melton are as follows: A single mini-roundabout to connect the road brunthouse lane to the village, a 20 miles per hour speed limit down some of the smaller roads, and an extension to the roads at Brunthouse lane, and ONLY in Brunthouse Lane. Upon reaching the mini-roundabout the road again narrows, halting much of the traffic flow yet again.

In short, the development has made preventative measures for road safety, but not allowed the trafic through little melton to flow freely. In fact said traffic calming measures are slowing traffic down, and I fear that when development is complete the roads will begin to become backed up with cars, making life difficult for residents.

I hope that this clearly explains the various problems with the current development plans. I'm afraid that with things as they are I cannot support this development, and may even be forced to move if considerations are not taken to ensure the quality of life in the village does not drop. The current plan needs to be revised in my opinion, to ensure that traffic is left free to flow, services are available where required, and that the quality of life in the village is maintained in face of the expansion.

I would like to object in the strongest possible terms to any further proposal of development in this village. We have a massive development of houses being currently built between this village and Hethersett which is 'blurring the lines' between our villages. We do not have the infrastructure to support anymore development in this village. We already have considerable problems with increased traffic and all its associated problems, a lack of public transport and increased pressure on GP services

Already a lack of local amenities; the nearest GP is in Hethersett and already oversubscribed. The only shop in the village is due to close; public transport from the village into Norwich is infrequent and the school, which has an outstanding ofsted (largely due to its small size and teacher/student ratio) would be unable to support the extra families in its current state.

The local road network is already at capacity. School lane is dangerous as there is significant traffic and no speed restrictions, which is particulalry dangerous for children in the village walking to and from school each day.

Developing this site would remove an important green space between the Norwich outskirts and the increasingly developed Hethersett-Wymondham suburb. It would also affect the County Wildlife site just south of Braymeadow Lane. The road infrastructure is inadequate to support all the extra traffic that this would bring - Braymeadow Lane is a single track road with passing places. There is already a problem with surface water from Braymeadow (which, as the name suggests, is a hill) causing flooding at the junction of Braymeadow Lane, Colney Lane and Hethersett Lane - the proposed site development would greatly exacerbate this problem.

I wish to use this consultation process to express why Little Melton is not suitable for major growth and I make the following points.
It is clear from the development going on in the village now that the current policy approach is for smaller sites and infilling. I think this is an appropriate way for the village to continue to grow.
The character of Little Melton today is very much a rural village. All the approach roads, with the exception of the northern end of Green Lane as it joins the Watton Road, are narrow and constrained. The rural character is reinforced by green verges along the roads and the lack of formal kerbs and street lighting. There are limited lengths of footway within the village itself.
The form of the village is of linear development along the lanes: School Lane, Mill Road, Great Melton Rd and Braymeadow Lane. There is some estate development off these. The village doesn't have a strongly identified centre; there are two areas of stronger activity, one along School Lane between the shop, pub and school, and the other around the area of the church, village hall and playing field.
As a settlement, Little Melton is classified as a Service Village. This is because it has a shop, primary school and bus service. However, the shop is small, it doesn't offer very much and it's difficult to park there. It is currently on the market to be sold and has been for a long time because the current owners wish to retire which might mean it is not a viable business in the future. The bus service is not frequent enough to be a reasonable option for most journeys. It connects the village to Hethersett in one direction and the hospital in the other. At the hospital it's possible to change buses to get into Norwich. The school has limited space to grow.
There is no sustainable means of getting to the nearest GP, which is 2 miles away in Hethersett. The bus service is too infrequent, and walking or cycling are not safe or attractive on the narrow country lanes, which are unlit. There are no rights of way which connect the village to Hethersett in this direction.
Major growth at Little Melton is not an appropriate strategy because is it unsustainable:
* A car is needed for most journeys
* Major estate development at the village would relate poorly to the existing village form - it would be 'behind' the existing houses which face the lanes and it would feel disconnected from main active areas of the village. It would be out of proportion for the village and out of keeping with its character.
Widening / improving the road approaches to the village to accommodate the increased car trips from development would not be appropriate - this would introduce hard highway infrastructure and urbanise the village.
Appropriate development at the village could include sites GNLP0182R (near the church and south of Great Melton Road), GNLP0495 (south of School Lane) and GNLP0477 (east of Burnthouse Lane).
Most of the areas of GNLP0340 (the big site south of Watton Road) and of GNLP0244 (off Braymeadow Lane), and the whole of GNLP0488 (off the old School Lane cul de sac) fall within the Southern Bypass Landscape Protection Area, which appears to restrict development. It's probably within the control of the plan to change that protection area but it would appear to be unlikely. However, the plan might put forward parts of these sites: the southern part of GNLP0340 falls outside the zone, as does the part of GNLP0244 immediately alongside Braymeadow Lane.
It is hard to see how the development of the southern part of GNLP0340 could relate well to the village - it would be 'behind' the existing houses, unless it incorporated a street to connect it to School Lane somewhere near the school. Some development along the north side of Braymeadow Lane could work but I think the lane would need to be widened to allow safe access.
If major development happened at Little Melton, any improvement of the roads would need to be sensitively designed to preserve the rural character of the village. The form of development would need to be carefully considered to connect it well into the existing village form and not just big blobs of estate development hidden behind existing houses. In the worst case scenario, if major development were to happen in the village, it should bring material benefit (that is fairly and reasonably related in scale and kind to the development). This could include:
* A better shop in a central location with proper parking (proper newsagent / off-licence / Post Office / pharmacy)
* A more frequent bus service
* A GP surgery
* Retirement homes or sheltered housing
It is important to ensure that separation is maintained between Little Melton and Hethersett, especially if Hethersett were to expand to the north. There are strategic gap policies separating Hethersett from Cringleford and Wymondham to the east and west, but nothing to the north. A similar policy separating Little Melton from Hethersett is highly desirable.
I have lived in the village for 30 years and enjoyed its rural nature; I hope my points against its greater development will be considered sympathetically.

Little Melton is a rural village, without a strongly identified centre.
All the approach roads are narrow and constrained, some with very tight "S" bends.
Like most villages of this nature, the roads have green verges, a lack of formal kerbs, limited street lighting and a limited amount of footway, thus posing a serious risk to pedestrians and cyclists alike.

Little Melton is also classified as a Service Village, by virtue of the shop, primary school and bus service. Unfortunately, the shop is small and parking is problematical, also the bus service is too infrequent with severely limited destinations for it to be a reasonable option for most journeys.
This means there is not an adequate means of getting to the nearest GP, which is 2 miles away in Hethersett, or indeed proper shopping facilities within easy reach, the nearest being located several miles away in the suburbs of Norwich.

Major growth at Little Melton is an entirely inappropriate strategy because is it unsustainable for the following reasons:
* A car is needed for most journeys
* Major estate development at the village would relate poorly to the existing village form - it would be 'behind' the existing houses which face the lanes and it would feel disconnected from main active areas of the village. It would be out of proportion for the village and out of keeping with its character.
* Improving the road approaches to the village to accommodate the increased car trips from development would introduce hard highway infrastructure and urbanise the village.
* Most of the areas of GNLP0340, GNLP0244, and the whole of GNLP0488 fall within the Southern Bypass Landscape Protection Area, which appears to restrict development.
* It is hard to see how the development of the southern part of GNLP0340 could relate well to the village
However some appropriate development could include sites GNLP0182R (near the church and south of Great Melton Road), GNLP0495 (South of School Lane) and GNLP0477 (East of Burnthouse Lane). Should any further development be considered at Little Melton the following criteria should observed:
* The roads would need to be improved and designed in a way to preserve the rural character of the village.
* Any development would need to be carefully considered to connect it well into the existing village form and not just big estate development hidden behind existing houses.
* There must be a substantial and strategic gap maintained between Little Melton and Hethersett, of at least 300 metres.
* Any development should bring material benefit to the village such as:
o Better shopping facilities sited in a convenient and appropriate location with adequate parking arrangements. This should include a substantial convenience stores/Post Office/pharmacy.
o A full bus service
The development of the village so far has been along the lanes, with limited estate development off these. It would seem, therefore, that this would be the most appropriate way for the village to continue to grow in the future, by way of smaller/infill sites, as per the current policy approach.

It will add to the already increasing numbers of traffic already using the Watton Road (B1108), to and from Norwich. There is often great congestion between the Earlham Fiveways roundabout to the NNUH turning. This will just add to the tailbacks. There is not sufficient infrastructure to cope with the excess traffic.

Greater Norwich Local Plan Consultation
I wish to use this consultation process to express why Little Melton is not suitable for major growth and I make the following points.
It is clear from the development going on in the village now that the current policy approach is for smaller sites and infilling. I think this is an appropriate way for the village to continue to grow.
The character of Little Melton today is very much a rural village. All the approach roads, with the exception of the northern end of Green Lane as it joins the Watton Road, are narrow and constrained. The rural character is reinforced by green verges along the roads and the lack of formal kerbs and street lighting. There are limited lengths of footway within the village itself.
The form of the village is of linear development along the lanes: School Lane, Mill Road, Great Melton Rd and Braymeadow Lane. There is some estate development off these. The village doesn't have a strongly identified centre; there are two areas of stronger activity, one along School Lane between the shop, pub and school, and the other around the area of the church, village hall and playing field.
As a settlement, Little Melton is classified as a Service Village. This is because it has a shop, primary school and bus service. However, the shop is small, it doesn't offer very much and it's difficult to park there. It is currently on the market to be sold and has been for a long time because the current owners wish to retire which might mean it is not a viable business in the future. The bus service is not frequent enough to be a reasonable option for most journeys. It connects the village to Hethersett in one direction and the hospital in the other. At the hospital it's possible to change buses to get into Norwich. The school has limited space to grow.
There is no sustainable means of getting to the nearest GP, which is 2 miles away in Hethersett. The bus service is too infrequent, and walking or cycling are not safe or attractive on the narrow country lanes, which are unlit. There are no rights of way which connect the village to Hethersett in this direction.
Major growth at Little Melton is not an appropriate strategy because is it unsustainable:
* A car is needed for most journeys
* Major estate development at the village would relate poorly to the existing village form - it would be 'behind' the existing houses which face the lanes and it would feel disconnected from main active areas of the village. It would be out of proportion for the village and out of keeping with its character.
Widening / improving the road approaches to the village to accommodate the increased car trips from development would not be appropriate - this would introduce hard highway infrastructure and urbanise the village.
Appropriate development at the village could include sites GNLP0182R (near the church and south of Great Melton Road), GNLP0495 (south of School Lane) and GNLP0477 (east of Burnthouse Lane).
Most of the areas of GNLP0340 (the big site south of Watton Road) and of GNLP0244 (off Braymeadow Lane), and the whole of GNLP0488 (off the old School Lane cul de sac) fall within the Southern Bypass Landscape Protection Area, which appears to restrict development. It's probably within the control of the plan to change that protection area but it would appear to be unlikely. However, the plan might put forward parts of these sites: the southern part of GNLP0340 falls outside the zone, as does the part of GNLP0244 immediately alongside Braymeadow Lane.
It is hard to see how the development of the southern part of GNLP0340 could relate well to the village - it would be 'behind' the existing houses, unless it incorporated a street to connect it to School Lane somewhere near the school. Some development along the north side of Braymeadow Lane could work but I think the lane would need to be widened to allow safe access.
If major development happened at Little Melton, any improvement of the roads would need to be sensitively designed to preserve the rural character of the village. The form of development would need to be carefully considered to connect it well into the existing village form and not just big blobs of estate development hidden behind existing houses. In the worst case scenario, if major development were to happen in the village, it should bring material benefit (that is fairly and reasonably related in scale and kind to the development). This could include:
* A better shop in a central location with proper parking (proper newsagent / off-licence / Post Office / pharmacy)
* A more frequent bus service
* A GP surgery
* Retirement homes or sheltered housing
It is important to ensure that separation is maintained between Little Melton and Hethersett, especially if Hethersett were to expand to the north. There are strategic gap policies separating Hethersett from Cringleford and Wymondham to the east and west, but nothing to the north. A similar policy separating Little Melton from Hethersett is highly desirable.
I have lived in the village for 30 years and enjoyed its rural nature; I hope my points against its greater development will be considered sympathetically.

I strongly object to the 400-500 houses proposed on this site as I do not feel such a large development would fit into Little Melton and would completely change the character and feeling of the village.
Braymeadow Lane is a single track road with passing places and simply could not cope with the volume of traffic such a large development would bring with it. Public transport is almost non-existent currently leading to even more cars using the roads in and around the village.
The village does not have the services for such a high number of additional houses - the nearest GP and dentist surgeries are in Hethersett; the school is small and the shop is at risk of closing in the near future.

As a Carer it has become increasingly dangerous to walk with another person the triangle of Mill Road, Church Road and Barford Road in Marlingford. There are no footpaths, (just banks and hedges full of holly, brambles and nettles). These country roads were not designed to take artic lorries and 3.5t vans. I suffer from bronchiectesis and the exhaust fumes polluting the air exacerbate it. The volume of traffic cutting through our village, a much shorter route than the A47 Bypass, the noise and greenhouse gases will again increase, whereas I thought we were meant to be reducing the latter.