GNLP2121

This proposal is not in the best interests of the village, it will destroy the rural setting that we currently enjoy in Wortwell, apart from putting excess pressure on the current services such as schools and doctors.
We purchased a property in Wortwell in order to enjoy country life having moved away from such inappropriate developments.

This proposed housing development would be totally unsuitable for a small community village such as Wortwell. The only type of housing that would be appropriate would be a ribbon development along the High Road. The infrastructure of this small village could not possibly support a large "estate" of housing.
To build on land that is needed for drainage would have a detrimental effect for the local residents in Wortwell. This is a Waveney Valley Village with a special character that would be lost if an inappropriate housing development was allowed.

The proposed site is too large and would more than double the size of our village. Current infrastructure does not lend itself to this size of development, there are already large housing developments in Harleston and other nearby villages/towns, and doctors and dentist practices and schools are at capacity. Wortwell is a rural village and local scenery and wildlife is appreciated. There is much community spirit and a large development would change this. Other concerns are access to site, increased volume of traffic, drainage and flooding, affect on character/design of village, lack of employment opportunities and public transport.

I feel that this large area for development is not good for the village. It would double in size with just this site.We do not have a shop,doctors, school. The nearest are all in Harleston and they are all full. The landscape would also be spoilt. No suitable access to site.

As a resident of Wortwell I am lodging my objection to the site development on the following grounds

- The location of the proposed development lies in the heart of Wortwell, a village of rural location and community. The proposal will negatively impact on the rural character of the village and overwhelm it. I am concerned that the proposal will not improve the character and quality of the village and the way it functions.
- I am concerned that the proposed development will seriously encroach on the underdeveloped Waveney rural river valley landscape, and cause harm and overwhelm the strong character and rural setting of the Waveney Valley.
- Part of the site being proposed has already been turned down (2017/2080), following appeal by planning inspectorate in 2018. The reasons for turning down the development of this site, continue to be relevant to the proposed development of site GNLP2121, on the basis that its development would negatively impact on the character and quality of the village. In addition, the inspector gave considerable importance and weight to preserving the rural landscape and setting of listed buildings within the village.
- I am concerned that the development of this site will extend the limit/boundary of housing development, and will result in the harmful incursion of development into open countryside, eroding the undeveloped gap between the two main parts of the village. The proposal would therefore conflict with the aims of Local Planning Policy which seeks that all development should respect, conserve and where possible enhance the landscape character of its immediate and wider environment and for planning to resist proposals which have significant adverse impact
- I am concerned that the proposed development far exceeds the needs in this community. Planning policy states that there is provision for development outside the village envelope, to build affordable housing. Whilst we do need to support building affordable housing to help meet the housing, employment and social requirements/needs of all members of the community, I understand that Wortwell expects and is committed to absorb up to 4/5 affordable housing units over the coming decade. I do not believe that there is pressure to develop the village further on the basis of identified need, and the need within this community is therefore not in any way as considerable, for the level of housing that the proposed site would generate.
- I am concerned that the proposed site would provide nearly double the amount of properties that are currently in Wortwell, and the village and nearby town of Harleston does not have the infrastructure to provide services for this increased level of housing. The medical and education services in the area are already stretched to capacity, due to increased housing in Harleston. Wortwell itself has no shop and the bus service is limited, and we are reliant on nearby towns for supporting services.
- I am concerned that there is limited employment available in the area, and people will be reliant to travel by private car to get to work, which will have a negative impact on the environment, and will increase the risks associated with traffic congestion within the local community.
- I am concerned about drainage and that any evacuation work to develop the site will cause flooding, to Low Road, situated below the development site. This is an area prone to flooding as it is on the edge of a watermeadow, and there will be pressures on existing drainage systems, if this site is developed.

I strongly object to the proposed development of GNLP2121, for the following reasons, however this is not an exhaustive list:
- It a vast expanse which would more than double to size of the village, completely taking away the small rural community spirit, it would turn Wortwell into a town rather than a quaint village
- It places numerous properties at risk of flooding due to surface water run off, particularly those located on Low Road which are directly down hill
- The road network is insufficient for the level of traffic it would bring through the village
- The drainage systems are also insufficient to meet the needs of addiditonal housing
- It would be severely detrimental to the existing wildlife currently inhabiting the land, including the Tawny Owls nesting there which are listed as amber on the UK conservation list and protected by the Wildlife and Countryside Act of 1981
- The are not the local amenities to support such an increase in the village population (no shops, school, overstretched medical services, limited employment opportunities, and very limited public transport)
- It would impact the beautiful landscape of the Waveney Valley
- It would overlook many of Wortwells existing residents, blocking out sunlight and views, and impacting on their privacy, especially as many of them are bungalows
It would be more appropriate to develop a site closer to large towns and cities where there is a much higher demand for housing and the amenities to support the population. Additionally a site that would not impact so heavily on existing residents, wildlife and landscape.

I object to this proposal on several grounds:
I would first like to object on the basis that the proposed plan would be right up against or even slightly over what i am aware to be my boundary. to further this point my boundary is actually level with my roof line so my garden and my house which has a french sliding door at the rear would be open to anyone looking in. one last point i would like to make about this part of of my objection is that the soil that makes up my bank is very sandy and it does shift even with the very rare tractors that work up there let alone a full working building crew.
second point
doctors surgery cant recruit anymore doctors due to their terrible reputation
Daily mirror
HARLESTON MEDICAL PRACTICE
Rank 6838 out of 7109 surgeries in England.
the cqc have recently reviewed the surgery and it requires improvement
it is almost impossible to get an appointment
no nhs dentist for miles (wymondham)
point 3
the schools have been stretched to breaking point including the primary school in harleston having to put up some temporary looking classrooms
point 4
i believe this development could put my house and my neighbours at serious risk of flooding
point 5
no decent public transport links to norwich
roads can't acommodate what could be an influx of 600 cars
point 6
crime in harleston is getting worse including rumors of the drug gangs of norwich trying to set up a county line in harleston
crime made worse by the fact there is nothing to do around here
point 7
there are very few (almost no) jobs around here which would increase traffic on the back roads to norwich (through albugh, hempnall green,hempnall, stoke holy cross ect)
point 8
it will entirely ruin the village
point 9
i will be looking at costing the loss in value of my property and working out a way to claim it back
point 10
it will force hard working working people like myself and my wife to move because we moved to this rural idyll to live a peaceful life in an area of outstanding natural beauty on the river waveney only to have it ruined by this moronic plan

The local infrastructure is already under large strain - Both Harleston and Bungay would struggle to accommodate such a massive influx of people.

Local community of Bats feed along the Sancroft Way/Low Road side of this field

Increase in surface run off water will end up adding to the float risk of low road, despite measures like soakaways.

"Greater Norwich Local Plan" but there is no direct, good route to Norwich. This will lead to more traffic on rural roads no designed for it.

The building of such a large development of mixed housing would have a real adverse impact on the village. Clearly the current infrastructure is stretched to the limit, medical support is one of the poorest in the country due to the lack of resources, so to increase the demands that this development would inevitably bring will have a real negative impact on the village and immediate surrounding area.

I object on the grounds that the services such as schools doctors dentists sewers are stretched to full capacity and can in my opinion could not cope with the influx of more large scale housing.

GNLP2121.
1. Wortwell is small village which has already been bypassed.Its infrastructure ,road system and character couldn't carry the weight of a large development.
2. The land surrounding and below is subject to flooding.Increased water run off would be problematic.
3. The area is important to wildlife,endangered Turtle doves visit anually,Barn owls hunt here and all types of birds and animals use these and the surrounding fields as a refuge during times that the adjacent marsh floods.
4.A promenant development that overlooks the beautiful waveney valley below would be a visual and ecological disaster.

I strongly object against this proposal for Wortwell, Local services, doctors, dentist and schooling are already stretched to the extent some services being in special measures. The roads are not fit for extra traffic. Environmentally it will destroy so much of the wildlife, some being rare or on the endangered list. Flooding is an issue. The whole ethos of the village will change.

Wortwell is a small friendly village, I understand more houses are required by why ruin the whole feel of the village.

The proposal would mean We would no longer be a village. The new houses would increase it's size two fold. The road structures are not sufficient to hold the amount of traffic that would be travelling through.The services in Wortwell are limited. This is a rural village and a modern housing estate would detract from its heritage and decrease current property values in the village,some dating back to 1700's. There is no school,shop or adequate bus service so traffic would become congested around the village. We moved here because it is a small rural village with a good local community.

I am writing to strongly object the proposals for housing on the field to the South side of High Road, Wortwell.
There are a number of factors relating to this site - access will cause safety issues and the local infrastructure/services is not sufficient enough for the number of properties proposed.
We want to remain a village with a good community, not become a suburb of Harleston.

I would like to make an objection to the GNLP2121 area in Wortwell which has been proposed for development. Such a large development would completly be out of character for the village and double the size of this waveny valley village

I would like to make comment on the proposed development site above at Wortwell. I do not support the allocated site and object as listed.
1. Wortwell is Primarily a linear village and as such and in the extreme,would only suit further
minor development as small fill ins within the areas already allocated in the local development plan.
2.The village as it is has already been bypassed development on a larger scale would seriously impact on current road system.
3.The current infrastructure will not support large scale development ie. One small pub ,no school or shop.
3.Wortwell already has to bear the noise and potential pollution of the bypass to the north.It would be unreasonable to expect the village to lose the amenity of country side views and uninterrupted sky..
4.This is a wildlife important area being frequented by deer,grey partridge ,barn owls and many others as breeding and feeding sites and as an area of refuge that is needed when the waveney valley floods on the marshes adjacent to wortwell low road .

This proposed development would swamp the existing village. There is no school, shop and limited buses. The nearest trainline is 12 miles away. The village was bypassed years ago to ease traffic, a development this size would create new traffic problems. Motorists already use Wortwell as a short cut and exceed the speed limit at the same time. The Waveney Valley is an AONB, and an increase of houses at this level would have a negative effect on tourism. The area is currently rich in flora and fauna, and a huge increase in population would directly affect this diversity.

We would like to raise our objection to site proposal GNLP2121 we feel the number of houses you can fit on 13.75 hectares would probably double the size of the village changing the character and spoiling the whole village with increased traffic and people movement ,plus local doctors ,dentists,schools etc.struggle to cope now with the influx of people in new developments in Harleston area.

This proposal would be detrimental to the village of Wortwell and the Waveney Valley.
1 It would double the size of the village in a very short time.
2 Local Doctors Nurses Carers Dentists Hospitals Schools etc are all overstretched now.
3 There are few local employment opportunities.
4 The extra traffic on the High Road would increase the danger of accidents at The Bell cross roads and increase congestion at the double T junctions onto the A143, Homersfield end, which is already accident prone. The Low Road is narrow, has many blind bends and is liable to flooding.

Wortwell is a ribbon developed village in the Waveney valley. There are very few villages of this type left in the country and as such should be valued. This proposed development will destroy Wortwell. The road network is totally inadequate and suffers from speeding "rat run" drivers. Any increase in road use will render it even more dangerous. I whole heartedly endorse the Parish Councils objections.... for all the reasons they give. The proposed site is agricultural land and should be used as such..... this would protect the wildlife that regularly visit. There are already 3 adjoining parcels of land asking for planning permission for housing...... all of which add even more pressures on infrastructure not to mention flooding from run off. I OBJECT MOST STRONGLY

I have no objection to a small, ribbon development that emulates the existing village, BUT what is proposed would swamp our community. My main objection, is the very likelihood of flash flooding on the Low Road. Wortwell, built on a flood plain, is finely balanced. Several times each year many of the gardens, on the River Waveney side of Low Road, succumb to flooding, this usually occurs several days after heavy, prolonged rainfall - the water taking time to penetrate the surrounding land. Any large development above this area would inevitably cause faster run off, flooding the Low Road.

Having read and considered the document put forward by Wortwell Parish Council, we fully endorse its content. Thus, we strongly object to this proposed development.

My wife and I wish to express our views that it would be madness to even think of having a Housing Development in Wortwell. Its always been known as a retirement Village and a very close Community. We just would not cope with the traffic and it would destroy such a lovely Village. Please Don't Pass this we moved from new housing estate for Peace and Quiet because these new Developments just cause trouble with Low cost Housing and crime rate goes up. So Please listen to the residents of Wortwell.

As residents of Wortwell, South Norfolk we would like to say how utterly dismayed we are that there is proposed planning (gnlp 2121) on such a grand scale in a village like Wortwell where there is no infrastructure, no shops etc. This is a village community, not a town, there is a lot of nature, animals, plants etc and a site of this size would change all this. So sad that planning of this size can even be suggested in a country village. We have one doctor's surgery in Harleston which has too many patients at the moment so what would happen if this went ahead, plus the roads would be more and more congested, as I said no infrastructure.

So we would like to say we are totally against this development as are most of Wortwell.

I strongly object this amount of houses being placed in a small rural village. Wortwell does not have the infrastructure to deal with anything like the traffic that would generated by this proposal alone. The lack of local services in the neighboring town has been an on going problem for the last five years since the major house building started in Harleston. The imense strain that has been placed on the doctors and dentists has made treatment practically impossible unless you are at home every day. The major fact is there are no big employers left locally for the new residents to be able to work at creating every person to rely on motor vehicles for transport.
I can t see how this type of planning falls into the going green strategy that all the local councils push at us all the time when they justify price increases each year.
As a resident of wortwell for 42 years i am in no way against new devolments but i cannot see how any person in the right mind would sanction a project of this size in such unsuitable location for the reasons out lined alone.

Too big - would swamp the village.Outside the village building boundary. Local services -doctors, school, dentists are not fit for purpose currently. Very limited bus services.

The last decade has seen significant development in Harleston, which shares its amenities with Wortwell and already schools, GP and dental services struggle to cope.

High and Low Roads, Wortwell are poorly maintained: Surfaces are crumbling; drains are continually blocked, leading to flooding. Residents of the development would enter and leave it via these roads, dramatically increasing wear and tear. More surface water would reach these roads, should the land between them be built on.

The Waveney village character of Wortwell would be destroyed by development on this scale. The village has already welcomed several sympathetic developments over recent years.

My husband and I have lived in the village of Wortwell for 36 years. We chose to live in a village location and strongly object to the above proposed development for the following reasons -

~ The size of the development would more than double the number of houses in the village and therefore change the whole character of the village. The residents of Wortwell have chosen to live in a quiet, peaceful rural location and do not want to live in an urban environment.

~ The size of the development would impact heavily on local services such as -
The nearest medical facilities in Harleston are unable to cope at present and are on the verge of collapse.
The local schools in Harleston and Bungay are stretched to capacity and would be unable to cope.
Since we have so few local services and employment opportunities everyone has to travel by car out of the village.
The amount of extra traffic would cause chaos on our local roads. Low Road is very narrow with multiple bends, the High Road is now used as a rat run and the junction of the Flixton road and the A 143 is extremely dangerous already.
Public transport in the village is almost non existent and the few buses we have are totally unreliable and always breaking down.

~ The Waveney valley is constantly subjected to flooding during periods of heavy rain and any urban development would prevent natural drainage and the run off could put Low Road at risk of severe flooding.

Objections regarding the impact on medical, dental, educational and transport facilities in Harleston have already been lodged and have my support. In addition, the proposed development will greatly increase traffic along Low Road which is narrow and subject to flooding. The junction of High and Low Roads is already hazardous. Any increase in traffic will endanger pedestrians, cyclists and other road users; many pedestrians follow this route to The Bell pub which is an essential meeting place for village residents. Beyoond this, I am concerned by the creeping urbanisation which threatens the identity of Wortwell as a Norfolk village.