Full text:
A Parish Council meeting was held on the 26th November and public participation time was allocated to discuss the above proposal. The meeting was attended by 53 villagers and a further 48 villagers, unable to attend, had lodged objections with the spokesperson.
This represents 20.13% of the population of the village. The largest turnout ever for a meeting of this nature in this village.
Two councillors declared a pecuniary interest, a quorum of councillors remained and the Council passed unanimously that, the Parish Council, acting as representatives of the village, would support the views of the residents and lodge an objection on their behalf.
(note: This is the view of the separate legal entity known as Wortwell Parish Council - the views of individual councillors are not taken into account for the purpose of this paper)
Individual villagers present at the meeting have been encouraged to make full use of the democratic process and make their own views known, whatever they are, by commenting on the GNLP website. For those unable to access internet then they are encouraged to lodge their comments in writing to the GNLP team.
A high percentage of the village were either not able to attend or remain unaware of the proposal. Again in the interest of supporting a democratic process and ensuring that all views are transparent and open, the council approved a communication process:
The council proposed and unanimously approved that this consultation response document will be posted into every letterbox encouraging all villagers to make use of the same democratic process outlined above. One would expect that there will be members of the village both for and against the proposal, but we wish to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to express their views.
. THE PROPOSED SITE: - GNLP2121
GNLP Regulation 18 Consultation - sites submitted during Reg 18 stage dated 15/6/2018 reference 1 :19,381 Ordnance survey 100019340
3. DOCUMENTS REFERENCED (not an exclusive list)
1. Greater Norwich Local Plan Site Proposals document (Submitting comments on sites)
SECTION 2.10
We are seeking your views on the sites that have already been submitted. Any comments submitted at this stage will help refine the assessment for sites in order to propose final allocations. As well as identifying any barriers to developing the sites (e.g. flood risk, service capacffy, potential access to the site etc.) and raising concerns about the impact that development might have (e.g. environmental and heritage impacts), it would also be useful to know if there are any local benefits that could be achieved through development.
2. Interim Sustainability Appraisal of the Greater Norwich Local Plan for Broadland, Norwich and South Norfolk
Sustainability Baseline
Sections 2.1 to 2.3.12 refers
3. Wortwell Parish Council Internal Policy - planning process
4. Wortwell Parish Council Response:
As a council we hereby lodge a council objection to this site development on the following grounds:
The proposed development sits outside the Village boundary for building and development. Currently there are 270 properties in Wortwell.
* The proposed site of 13.75 hectares, using the accepted formula of 30 houses per hectare x number of hectares, would be equivalent to 412.5 houses.
This represents an increase of 1.53 times the current housing.
A swamping of new build over the existing buildings would change the entire character of the village.
On a ratio of 1 to every 100 residents we could expect to absorb up to 4/5 affordable housing units over the coming decade
The character of the village is rural, agricultural, generally older properties with an affordable housing estate of 6 properties built within the last decade.
On a ratio of 1 to every 100 residents we could expect to absorb up to 4/5 affordable housing units over the coming decade. This proposal far exceeds this projection and represents a ratio of 85:1 on that figure.
In accordance with their own internal guidelines, Wortwell Parish Council adheres only to the relevant planning considerations and the following list, though not exhaustive, represents considerations that we have made in reviewing this proposal: (we will be happy to expand on these if required to do so)
o Planning history of the village
o National planning policies and guidance
o Local planning policies and guidance
o Highway safety issues
o Traffic generation
o Car parking provisions
o Local drainage issues
o Local flooding issues - impact of 'water run off' onto houses located at a lower level than the proposed site.
o Location as a rural village sited on the Waveney Valley on the borders between Suffolk and Norfolk, an area of outstanding beauty, walks and freedom of movement.
o Over dominance of a modern housing estate against the backdrop of a village with housing dating back, in some cases, to before the 17th Century.
o Loss of important local spaces.
o Impact on the environment, ecology flora and fauna
o impact on local and wider infrastructure
A further consideration is the amount of new building already meeting market needs in our immediate surrounding area (radius 12 miles) with Long Stratton, Harleston and Fressingfield all looking to undertake major house building in their localities. All of this will put major pressure on the existing infrastructure and resources.
Wortwell Parish Council would like to place on record that the following matters HAVE NOT been taken into consideration as they are not deemed to be relevant material planning considerations.
o Reduction in property values as a result of this proposal
o Loss of private view over land
o Boundary and access disputes, covenants and other private property matters
o Questioning the motives or morals or future plans or personal reasons of the landowner
o Commercial competition.
5. Infrastructure:
Wortwell Parish Council have additional concerns about the infrastructure, supporting services and location. Specifically:
(a) There are very few services within the village boundary or immediate location.
(i) A limited bus service that is not fit for purpose for normal working or school hours.
(ii) No school
(iii) No village shop
(iv) A dominant two road system meeting at a crossroads on a blind bend in the middle of the village.
(v) We have an ongoing issue with speeding and antisocial driving behaviours where the village is used already as a 'rat run' to avoid through traffic having to go out onto the bypass. We are actively managing this in co-operation with the police, but an increase in traffic from within the village would be considered dangerous.
(b) Medical and Dental services are already overstretched in the local town of Harleston to the point that no-one expects to get a doctor's appointment and the practice is deemed to be one of the worst performing practices in the country due to lack of GP's
(c) Education services are stretched in the local town of Harleston
(d) Employment opportunities in the surrounding area are very low and there are no large employers in the immediate or surrounding area. The nearest meaningful employment would most likely be found in Ipswich, Bury St Edmunds and Norwich itself. A radius of between 20-30 miles in each direction.
(e) Public transport services - Note: Norwich is looking to represent itself as a leading light in being the Greenest City in the country. The increased level of road vehicles travelling for work on roads up to and into the city from this rural location (or to other larger towns) would not support the environmental targets or vision that they have set themselves.
(a) There are no trains or meaningful bus services from this area that could meet the demand through public transport. But even if new services were provided, these would be clogging up local road networks with buses ferrying people distances of more than 20 miles in each direction, probably on a daily basis.
6 Summary:
Wortwell Parish Council is not opposed to new builds in the village and supports and encourages the development of sympathetic housing in the area. We are also sensitive to the needs that have to be juggled when dealing with a tiny population in a small rural village surrounded by:
* flood plains,
* the Waveney Valley,
* grazing marshes and
* the fine church at the top of the hill in Redenhall.
All of this means that the people are reluctant to see this changed in character beyond recognition when there must be far more suitable and accessible sites around the county.
It is our duty as a council to represent the needs of our exiting residents who rely on the Parish Council to represent their concerns. There is a strong and overwhelming rejection by the local residents to this proposal.
It is also a statutory duty of the council to manage, monitor and regulate the types of building and development that are approved within this rural community.
7 Conclusion:
Taking all of the above into account Wortwell Parish Council would urge the developers of the GNLP to look elsewhere for their development needs to be met.
I would like to conclude by referencing your own document ISA sections 2.3.9; 2.3.1 O and 2.3.12 and the highlighted points therein which we feel are relevant to the decision.
2.3.9. Greater Notwich is a predominantly rural area with the urbanised city of Notwich and its suburbs at its centre. There is a diversity of landscape types across Greater Norwich, signified by the five nationally defined landscape character areas that are present.
2.3.10. Particular landscape sensitivities in the area jnclude: the Broads, which lie along the eastern edges of Broadland, Norwich and South Norfolk; rivet valleys and their setting; gaps bi::lwcen settlements* the landscape setting of, and undeveloped approaches to Norwich; and, several historic parks and gardens, ancient woodlands, the settings of listed buildings and remnant heath/ands.
2.3.12. The Environment Agency classifies the Norwich and the Broads Water Resource Zone
(WRZ), in which Greater Norwich lies, as an area of Serious Water Stress. Anglian Water's Water Resource Management Plan (WRMP) plans significant investment in the Norwich and the Broads WRZ to ensure that the water supply and demand balance is maintained. The disposal of waste water in a manner that maintains water quality will continue to be an issue as Greater Norwich grows. Pollution from waste water is one of the key basis 1 1anagement issues for the Broadland Rivers Catchment along with diffuse pollution from the rural area and physical modification of lakes and rivers. 1
On a final positive note, Wortwell Parish Council is sensitive to the need to provide new housing to meet the growing demand for homes whilst recognising that in a rural community the demand is considerably lower than in urban areas nearer to Norwich. We already have a lively and focussed development programme and do not have a shortage of housing to meet the local demands. We just cannot support a development on this size.
