Site Proposals document

We wish to object to this site proposal on the grounds of its negative impact on the landscape character and countryside setting of the Attlebridge Hills and the Wensum Valley.

Also, we note that this site includes a chalk pit of geological interest, listed in the Norfolk Geodiversity Audit as site BRL01. It has been subject of geological research since the 19th century as a significant local exposure of the Cretacous Campanian chalk of the Gonioteuthis quadrata zone, with many flints and a few paramoudras (Blake 1888) and a rich fossil fauna recorded by Rhodes and Rowe (see Wood, C (1988). 'The Stratigraphy of the Chalk of Norwich'. Bull Geol Soc Norfolk, no. 38).

However, if development were granted we request that plans be made conditional upon providing geological exposures of chalk as part of a nature conservation area. These could meaningfully be included as a valuable part of Green Infrastructure provision, and would conserve the site's geological as well as wildlife interest.

Object

We conditionally object to this proposal.

We note that this site includes a chalk pit of geological interest, listed in the Norfolk Geodiversity Audit as site BRL15. It provides degraded exposures of the Cretaceous Campanian Chalk of the Beeston Chalk sub-division, B.mucronata/langei Zone. It is recorded as having 2.5m of mostly soft white chalk with three flint bands which enable correlation with sites elsewhere. The significance of the site is underlined by its history of research (Peake 1960; Pitchford 1990; Whittlesea 2007) and its former designation as a geological SSSI (denotified because of loss of exposures). It is is also a County Wildlife Site (ref.no.2016).

If development were granted we strongly request that plans be made conditional upon providing geological exposures of chalk as part of a nature conservation area. These could meaningfully be included as a valuable part of Green Infrastructure provision, and would conserve the site's geological as well as wildlife interest.

We wish to object to this site proposal on the grounds of its negative impact on the landscape setting and countryside character of the Wensum Valley.

We wish to object to this site proposal on the grounds of its negative impact on local landscape character and the countryside setting of the Broads National Park.

We conditionally object to Site 0133D, which includes a chalk pit of geological interest listed in the Norfolk Geodiversity Audit as site NCH04. It provides degraded exposures of the Pre-Weybourne Chalk sub-division, a horizon subject to ongoing palaeontological research by Portsmouth University. If development were granted we strongly request that plans be made conditional upon the provision of chalk exposures, as part of Green Infrastructure provision, thus enhancing the site's geological and also wildlife interest. We unconditionally object to Sites 0133E and 0133F, on grounds of negative impact on the landscape character of the Yare Valley.

We conditionally object to this proposal.
We note that the site is part of the Mousehold Heath glaciofluvial outwash plain and is close to the findspot of a notable Neanderthal 'bout coupé' handaxe found on slightly lower ground near Valley Drive, 1935. It is recorded as NHER 468. It is associated with superficial deposits of solifluction origin rather than the underlying glaciofluvial deposits, which implies that the handaxe could have moved into its present position from higher ground.
If development were granted we strongly request that plans be made conditional upon a watching brief for possible Palaeolithic archaeological interest.

We wish conditionally to support this site proposal with the following proviso.
We note that the area of GNLP 0552 includes the Barford Borehole Site of geological interest, listed in the Norfolk Geodiversity Audit as Site SNF07. It is the location of a British Geological Survey borehole proving the presence of a deep buried channel (up to -34.7 m OD) cut into Chalk bedrock containing Pleistocene glacial deposits overlain by lake deposits of Hoxnian interglacial age (the Barford Formation). The Hoxnian deposits are rare and are the subject of ongoing palaeo-environmental research. If development took place at GNLP 0552 we request it be made conditional upon samples and results of site investigation boreholes being sent to the British Geological Survey archive.

We wish to object to this site proposal on the grounds of its negative impact on the landscape character and countryside setting of the Wensum Valley.

We note that this site includes a chalk pit of great geological interest, listed in the Norfolk Geodiversity Audit as site SNF28. It has been subject of geological research as a significant local exposure of the Campanian Chalk of the Pre-Weybourne Chalk sub-division, Belemnitella mucronata Zone, with 4.35 m of chalk recorded including three flint bands which allow correlation with other chalk sites. The site has a rich fossil fauna including the bryozoan Volviflustrellaria taverensis, four species of echinoid and the belemnite fossil Belemnitella senior (Wood 1988; Gale, 2014).

If development were granted we urgently request that plans be made conditional upon providing open geological exposures of the chalk within the pit as part of a nature conservation area. These could meaningfully be included as a valuable part of Green Infrastructure provision, and would conserve the site's geological as well as its wildlife interest.

We conditionally object to this site proposal.

We note that this site includes a gravel pit of geological interest, listed in the Norfolk Geodiversity Audit as site SNF37. It is a notable exposure of the 'cannon-shot' plateau gravels which compose the Westlodge Hills and other parts of the Ringland Hills outwash plain system, dating from the Anglian glaciation (Straw 1973). However we do not consider that this proposal will have an adverse impact on the landscape character of the Ringland Hills themselves.

However, if development were granted on this site we request that plans be made conditional upon providing adequate geological exposures of the 'cannon-shot' gravels at this site, as part of a nature conservation area. These could meaningfully be included as a valuable part of Green Infrastructure provision, and would conserve the site's geological as well as wildlife interest.

We conditionally object to this site proposal.

While we do not consider that this proposal will have an adverse impact on the landscape of the Waveney valley, we note that it includes a gravel pit of high geological interest, listed in the Norfolk Geodiversity Audit as site SNF47. The site was investigated by Hey (1967) who identified a notable succession of seven beds which were later interpreted by the British Geological Survey as comprising Crag Group and Kesgrave Formation underlying Corton Formation and Lowestoft Formation (Arthurton et al 1994; Moorlock et al 2000). It is an important site for interpreting the geological succession in south-east Norfolk and the Waveney valley.

If development were granted on this site we request that plans be made conditional upon providing adequate geological exposures of the site's geological features, as part of a nature conservation area. These could meaningfully be included as a valuable part of Green Infrastructure provision, and would conserve the site's geological as well as wildlife interest.