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DEVELOPMENT PROPOSALS: LAND SOUTH OF TAVERHAM ROAD, DRAYTON, NORWICH (GNLP SITE REFERENCE: 0270)
Landform has an interest in 2.83 ha (7 acres) of land to the south of Taverham Road, Drayton. The site has been promoted through the HEELA and Landform will continue to promote it for residential development. A number of technical reports have been prepared and are documented below.
Landscape and Visual SLR Landscape consultants have undertaken an initial landscape assessment. The site lies on the southern edge of Drayton, and this settlement comprises an attractive mix of original properties expanded by modern bungalows and semi-detached buildings, mostly brick and tile with some historic render. The village sits well into its landscape by virtue of the openness of the settlement and the number of trees within it. The majority of the site is agricultural with a metal field barn of no particular merit located in the centre. It is enclosed to the east by houses fronting Station road, and to the north by houses along Taverham Road overall there are 18 houses which front onto it. It is bounded by a hedgerow and trees (which are of reasonable value) along its western boundary. To the south lies the wooded Costessey Lane, beyond which the valley side falls to the wooded flood plain of the River Wensum. The Brooklands Care Home has taken a part of the site and is accessed from this lane. Visually the site is enclosed and difficult to see from anything other than local viewpoints, and in part from the bounding properties. A longer view from the Wensum Valley, recognised by a previous local plan inspector, is now no longer available due to the growth of trees in the valley. The new care home to the south of the site is difficult to identify in views from the south. In landscape terms the site does not possess any vegetation of significance. Furthermore, it has much to commend it in terms of a potential development site, being strongly enclosed and subject to only local views. A new housing proposal would need to ensure that local residents amenity is properly taken into account and there would need to be a strong tree cover provided in order to ensure that the village character is respected.
Flooding and Infiltration The site lies in Flood zone 1 (the low probability flood area) with only minimal patches/routes of surface water flooding shown on or around the site. Part of the site is shown as being potentially susceptible to groundwater flooding on mapping in the 2011 Norwich Urban Area Surface Water Management Plan (SWMP). However, the slope of the site suggests that were groundwater levels in the underlying Chalk (an aquifer) to reach a point where they emerged at the surface, the water would simply flow off-site (southwards), over Costessey Lane and towards the River Wensum. The site is shown on SWMP mapping as lying just outside of a Critical Drainage Area. The site is not considered to exposed to any sources of flooding (as defined by the Flood and Water Management Act 2010) which could not be appropriately managed. As the site is underlain by Chalk there may be the possibility that surface water runoff from development could be managed via infiltration (something which later stage geotechnical investigations would establish). Should infiltration be ruled out by the appropriate investigations then a restricted, greenfield, discharge to the network of watercourses/surface water sewers in the area would be pursued. In the case of either disposal route (on-site infiltration of restricted discharge off-site) sufficient treatment of runoff would be provided in accordance with guidance in the CIRIA SuDS Manual (C753).
Transport and Access As explained above, and as shown on the enclosed Site Boundary Plan, the site has frontage and existing agricultural access to Taverham Road and to Costessey Lane. PSP consulting have visited the site and reviewed the surrounding road network, and also obtained detailed Highway Boundary records from the Highway Authority. Digital OS mapping has been used to confirm that the existing agricultural access to Taverham Road can be improved to form a development access in accordance with the Highway Authority's standards. The site is within the normally accepted walking distance from the existing facilities within Drayton, connecting via the footway on the south side of Taverham Road. The second agricultural access to Taverham Road, and possibly the agricultural access to Costessey Lane, could be improved to accommodate pedestrian and cycle routes connecting to existing local networks. When fully open the NDR will redistribute traffic around the north side of Norwich, taking Fakenham Road around the north side of Drayton, and this will relieve the peak hour pressure on the existing signalised cross-roads junction in the centre of Drayton. The traffic that would be generated by the development of the site can be readily accommodated on the local road network.
Ecology A walk over survey has been undertaken by Ecology Solutions and this confirms there are no overriding ecological constraints to the delivery of an appropriately designed development. The survey concludes that there would not be any significant adverse impacts to designated sites, habitats or protected and notable species. Moreover, there is scope to provide biodiversity enhancements over the existing situation.
Archaeology and Heritage on the basis of national and local heritage data sets supplemented by historic mapping and various historical sources, Archaeology analysis by CgMS concludes that in the context provided by Historic England's Good Practice Advice Note 1 (The Historic Environment in Local Plans), there is no heritage or archaeological constraint to the allocation of this site for future development.
Conclusions Site 0270 is well located to the existing settlement and the technical studies undertaken to date demonstrate that it is free from environmental constraints and can come forward for housing development in the short term. In summary, site 0270 is available, suitable and deliverable to help meet the identified objectively assessed housing need in Broadland and across the Greater Norwich plan area.
