Site Proposals document

Ref GNLP 0197 - Land to North of Ingram's 'Salamanca' Site, Long Lane
The Parish Council objects to development of this scale in this location for the following reasons:

* Stoke Holy Cross is a relatively small village with limited facilities that are already under pressure from the recent housing development that has taken place in the village.
* The proposed site is 3.7 ha in size and could accommodate in excess of 100 dwellings. Stoke Holy Cross has already had over 140 dwellings built over the last three years, representing a 33% increase in households in lower Stoke, where most facilities in the Parish are located. This scale of increase well exceeds that envisaged in the Joint Core Strategy that identified it as a village suitable for 20 dwellings, given its limited facilities. A further substantial development of this nature would therefore put severe pressure on existing infrastructure serving the village, and inevitably lead to the need for people to seek community facilities elsewhere, especially Poringland and Norwich. Apart from the inconvenience of this, there would be a consequent increase in traffic movements along roads which are already well trafficked.
* The development would increase the amount of traffic on Long Lane and Norwich Road through Stoke Holy Cross, which is already experiencing significantly higher traffic flows as a result of the new developments in the village and those from the major developments in Poringland. This would increase the amount of traffic past the school, which is already severely congested at peak traffic hours. It would also increase traffic using Norwich Road, through Stoke, which is relatively narrow, has a series of substandard junctions, and no pavements or footways along much of the route.
* The development would represent a severe intrusion into presently open countryside and spread the village beyond its 'natural' development boundaries and outside the settlement boundary, into the open fields beyond, to the detriment of the existing rural landscape.

* Stoke Holy Cross is a relatively small village with limited facilities that are already under pressure from the recent housing development that has taken place in the village.
* The proposed site is 1.28 ha in size and could accommodate in excess of 40 dwellings. Stoke Holy Cross has already had over 140 dwellings built over the last three years, representing a 33% increase in households in lower Stoke, where most facilities in the Parish are located. This scale of increase well exceeds that envisaged in the Joint Core Strategy that identified it as a village suitable for 20 dwellings, given its limited facilities. A further substantial development of this nature would therefore put severe pressure on existing infrastructure serving the village, and inevitably lead to the need for people to seek community facilities elsewhere, especially Poringland and Norwich. Apart from the inconvenience of this, there would be a consequent increase in traffic movements along roads which are already well trafficked.
* The development would increase the amount of traffic on Long Lane and Norwich Road through Stoke Holy Cross, which is already experiencing significantly higher traffic flows as a result of the new developments in the village and those from the major developments in Poringland. This would increase the amount of traffic past the school, which is already severely congested at peak traffic hours. It would also increase traffic using Norwich Road, through Stoke, which is relatively narrow, has a series of substandard junctions, and no pavements or footways along much of the route.
* The development would represent an intrusion into the attractive valley landscape that separates Upper and Lower Stoke Holy Cross, which is an important feature of the village that is highly valued by its residents. It would als0 spread the village beyond its 'natural' development boundaries and outside the settlement boundary, into open fields, to the detriment of the existing rural landscape.

* Stoke Holy Cross is a relatively small village with limited facilities that are already under pressure from the recent housing development that has taken place in the village.
* The proposed site is 6.56 ha in size, and whilst it is stated that much of this could be green infrastructure, there must still be potential for in excess of 150 dwellings. Stoke Holy Cross has already had over 140 dwellings built over the last three years, representing a 33% increase in households in Lower Stoke, where most facilities in the Parish are located. This scale of increase already well exceeds that envisaged in the Joint Core Strategy, that identified it as a village suitable for 20 dwellings, given its limited facilities. A further substantial development of this nature would therefore put severe pressure on existing infrastructure serving the village, and inevitably lead to the need for people to seek community facilities elsewhere, especially Poringland and Norwich. Apart from the inconvenience of this, there would be a consequent increase in traffic movements along roads which are already well trafficked.
* The development would increase the amount of traffic on Long Lane and Norwich Road through Stoke Holy Cross, which is already experiencing significantly higher traffic flows as a result of the new developments in the village and those from the major developments in Poringland. This would increase the amount of traffic past the school, which is already severely congested at peak traffic hours. It would also increase traffic using Norwich Road, through Stoke, which is relatively narrow in places, has a series of substandard junctions, and no pavements or footways along much of the route.
* The development would represent a major intrusion into the attractive valley landscape that separates Upper and Lower Stoke Holy Cross, which is an important feature of the village that is highly valued by its residents. It would also spread the village beyond its 'natural' development boundaries and the settlement boundary, into open fields, to the detriment of the existing rural landscape.

* Stoke Holy Cross is a relatively small village with limited facilities that are already under pressure from the recent housing development that has taken place in the village.
* The proposed site is 2.81 ha in size, and whilst it is stated that much of this could be green infrastructure, there must still be potential for in excess of 60 dwellings. Stoke Holy Cross has already had over 140 dwellings built over the last three years, representing a 33% increase in households in Lower Stoke, where most facilities in the Parish are located. This scale of increase already well exceeds that envisaged in the Joint Core Strategy that identified it as a village suitable for 20 dwellings, given its limited facilities. A further substantial development of this nature would therefore put severe pressure on existing infrastructure serving the village, and inevitably lead to the need for people to seek community facilities elsewhere, especially Poringland and Norwich. Apart from the inconvenience of this, there would be a consequent increase in traffic movements along roads which are already well trafficked.
* The development would increase the amount of traffic on Long Lane, Chandler Road and Poringland Road through Stoke Holy Cross, which is already experiencing significantly higher traffic flows as a result of the new developments in the village and those from the major developments in Poringland. This would increase the amount of traffic past the school, which is already severely congested at peak traffic hours. It would also increase traffic using Norwich Road, through Stoke, which is relatively narrow in places, has a series of substandard junctions, and no pavements or footways along much of the route. The access to this site is also totally unacceptable for this scale of development, the access is a single track ex RAF road for access to the Radar site. The ability to widen this road is doubtful due to adjoining properties.
* The development would represent a major intrusion into land outside the village boundary/settlement area.. It would also spread the village beyond its 'natural' development boundaries and the settlement boundary, into open fields, to the detriment of the existing rural landscape.

RESPONSE BY STOKE HOLY CROSS PARISH COUNCIL TO GREATER NORWICH LOCAL PLAN REGULATION 18 CONSULTATION.
The Parish Council would wish to make the following comments about the proposed additional sites for development in Stoke Holy Cross Parish. This includes the following sites that are within, or partially within, the Parish boundary.
GNLP 2091 GNLP 0197 GNLP 0202, GNLP 0524, GNLP2111, GNLP0494, GNLP1047, GNLP2124, GNLP0223.
The Parish Council is very concerned about the prospect of yet further residential development in Stoke Holy Cross without the provision of sufficient supporting services and infrastructure. This has become increasingly apparent following the approval and subsequent development of approximately 150 dwellings in the village approved since 2013, under the polices of the existing core strategy and South Norfolk Local Plan. The Core Strategy actually proposed 20 dwellings for the village with the proviso that additional dwellings could be permitted if sufficient infrastructure existed or could be provided. In reality as stated below, the village has very limited local facilities, and the new housing is already putting considerable strain upon those that exist. Parishioners are also very concerned about the detrimental impact of some of these proposed sites on the picturesque and ecologically rich Valley landscape within which Stoke Holy Cross is situated. The potential impact of proposed site GLP2091 on the River Tas Valley and the encroachment into the rural gap between Upper and Lower Stoke Holy Cross by sites GNLP2111, GNLP0202, GNLP 0197 and GNLP 0524, are of particular concern in this respect.
We wish therefore wish to object to all of the above proposed sites for the following reasons:
There have not been any improvements to services or the essential infrastructure in the village to support recent housing developments, which has resulted in an approximate 30% increase in households.
The Village does not have a Shop, a Doctors Surgery, Post Office, or a regular style Public House meaning that parishioners have to travel to nearby local service centres, the nearest being Poringland some 3 miles away, to avail themselves of these services.
The nearest Doctors Surgery has become over capacity due to the extensive housing developments that have, and are still taking place in Stoke Holy Cross, and nearby Caistor St Edmund, Poringland, Framingham Earl and Framingham Pigot.
The Bus services through the Village have recently been reduced from a half-hourly to an hourly service, meaning that many parishioners are having to resort to other forms of transport, including the private car, to travel to work or to access local facilities.
The road network through Stoke is very vulnerable to rat running from Poringland and the Framinghams, to avoid the severe congestion elsewhere on the network, particularly on the B1332. This is already leading to significant increases in traffic through the village, which will be greatly exacerbated if development of the proposed sites mainly along this route, were to be allowed.
The pre-school and primary School are both approaching capacity, which is already causing concern for Parents, who are having difficulty finding places for their children. This will only worsen as the outstanding planning permissions in the village are built out.
There is no Footpath or cycleway between the two halves of the village meaning that pedestrians and cyclists have to negotiate a narrow, unlit, unrestricted speed, country road to travel between them. This is a problem because the shops, high school, and Medical Centres, are situated beyond Upper Stoke, whilst the primary school, Village Hall and church are within lower Stoke. The recent reduction in the frequency of the bus service connecting the two halves of the village means that persons travelling between the two halves of the village, including the School children attending Stoke Primary School or Framingham Earl School, who decide to walk or cycle, do not have a safe passage to School, apart from when being taken by private car!
In summary, it is our strongly held view that the existing infrastructure within Stoke Holy Cross cannot handle any further significant development, and our experience of the provision of infrastructure in connection with the latest housing developments in the village does not give us confidence that the situation will improve in the foreseeable future. Parishioners currently experience substantial traffic issues and with further developments in Poringland and Framingham Earl still to be completed, this will increase in the future. All of the suggested sites will make a bad situation worse without the lack of local services and infrastructure issue being addressed, and also worsen the existing problems with sewerage and water pressure, in parts of the village. In short these proposed developments would not be sustainable in Stoke Holy Cross.

In conclusion we believe that Stoke Holy Cross has had more than its fair share of development in recent years, and that there should be no further allocation of any housing that is more than infill in scale in the next round of housing allocations, so that the village can adjust to the latest substantial developments currently taking place and the necessary infrastructure and services be allowed to catch up with the development in a sustainable manner in accordance with both national and local planning policy.

RESPONSE BY STOKE HOLY CROSS PARISH COUNCIL TO GREATER NORWICH LOCAL PLAN REGULATION 18 CONSULTATION.
The Parish Council would wish to make the following comments about the proposed additional sites for development in Stoke Holy Cross Parish. This includes the following sites that are within, or partially within, the Parish boundary.
GNLP 2091 GNLP 0197 GNLP 0202, GNLP 0524, GNLP2111, GNLP0494, GNLP1047, GNLP2124, GNLP0223.
The Parish Council is very concerned about the prospect of yet further residential development in Stoke Holy Cross without the provision of sufficient supporting services and infrastructure. This has become increasingly apparent following the approval and subsequent development of approximately 150 dwellings in the village approved since 2013, under the polices of the existing core strategy and South Norfolk Local Plan. The Core Strategy actually proposed 20 dwellings for the village with the proviso that additional dwellings could be permitted if sufficient infrastructure existed or could be provided. In reality as stated below, the village has very limited local facilities, and the new housing is already putting considerable strain upon those that exist. Parishioners are also very concerned about the detrimental impact of some of these proposed sites on the picturesque and ecologically rich Valley landscape within which Stoke Holy Cross is situated. The potential impact of proposed site GLP2091 on the River Tas Valley and the encroachment into the rural gap between Upper and Lower Stoke Holy Cross by sites GNLP2111, GNLP0202, GNLP 0197 and GNLP 0524, are of particular concern in this respect.
We wish therefore wish to object to all of the above proposed sites for the following reasons:
There have not been any improvements to services or the essential infrastructure in the village to support recent housing developments, which has resulted in an approximate 30% increase in households.
The Village does not have a Shop, a Doctors Surgery, Post Office, or a regular style Public House meaning that parishioners have to travel to nearby local service centres, the nearest being Poringland some 3 miles away, to avail themselves of these services.
The nearest Doctors Surgery has become over capacity due to the extensive housing developments that have, and are still taking place in Stoke Holy Cross, and nearby Caistor St Edmund, Poringland, Framingham Earl and Framingham Pigot.
The Bus services through the Village have recently been reduced from a half-hourly to an hourly service, meaning that many parishioners are having to resort to other forms of transport, including the private car, to travel to work or to access local facilities.
The road network through Stoke is very vulnerable to rat running from Poringland and the Framinghams, to avoid the severe congestion elsewhere on the network, particularly on the B1332. This is already leading to significant increases in traffic through the village, which will be greatly exacerbated if development of the proposed sites mainly along this route, were to be allowed.
The pre-school and primary School are both approaching capacity, which is already causing concern for Parents, who are having difficulty finding places for their children. This will only worsen as the outstanding planning permissions in the village are built out.
There is no Footpath or cycleway between the two halves of the village meaning that pedestrians and cyclists have to negotiate a narrow, unlit, unrestricted speed, country road to travel between them. This is a problem because the shops, high school, and Medical Centres, are situated beyond Upper Stoke, whilst the primary school, Village Hall and church are within lower Stoke. The recent reduction in the frequency of the bus service connecting the two halves of the village means that persons travelling between the two halves of the village, including the School children attending Stoke Primary School or Framingham Earl School, who decide to walk or cycle, do not have a safe passage to School, apart from when being taken by private car!
In summary, it is our strongly held view that the existing infrastructure within Stoke Holy Cross cannot handle any further significant development, and our experience of the provision of infrastructure in connection with the latest housing developments in the village does not give us confidence that the situation will improve in the foreseeable future. Parishioners currently experience substantial traffic issues and with further developments in Poringland and Framingham Earl still to be completed, this will increase in the future. All of the suggested sites will make a bad situation worse without the lack of local services and infrastructure issue being addressed, and also worsen the existing problems with sewerage and water pressure, in parts of the village. In short these proposed developments would not be sustainable in Stoke Holy Cross.

In conclusion we believe that Stoke Holy Cross has had more than its fair share of development in recent years, and that there should be no further allocation of any housing that is more than infill in scale in the next round of housing allocations, so that the village can adjust to the latest substantial developments currently taking place and the necessary infrastructure and services be allowed to catch up with the development in a sustainable manner in accordance with both national and local planning policy.