Draft Greater Norwich Local Plan – Part 1 The Strategy

Although at this stage it is not of direct interest to Aylsham and its residents there is a view that too much emphasis has been placed on school catchment areas rather than geographical links

The policy on flooding (item 9) could be strengthened by actually encouraging no additional hard surfaces outside the highway within a distance of one mile into a flood plain. Recent issues have shown the devastation excessive rain can have when rivers fill and although this has not been an issue for Norfolk the situation is only likely to get worse.

There is a lack of acknowledgement within the policy that the historic asset maybe underground rather than visible on the surface. This is also badly covered in the NPPF. This would be an opportunity to ensure discovery and then protection of unknown sites

There is nothing in the plan regarding connecting the market towns to Norwich and onward sites through long-distance all-weather cycle paths. This would appear to be an opportunity missed

With regard to affordable housing there is a need, from past experiences, to ensure there is no wiggle room for developers over the 33% figure. We would also like to see an addition so that the development is ‘tenure blind’

Aylsham
Whilst it is true that Aylsham has good transport links both North and South via the A140, there is an issue with transport through the town itself. The roads in the historic centre were not built for cars let alone the large buses that now regularly cross the town. The Town Council would like to address this through the provision of a transport hub to look at solutions for both the bus situation and the long-term parking issues experienced by the town. The Town Council does not agree with the chosen site – the full details of which are provided in the response to sites consultation.
The town is fortunate to have the long distance trails of the Weavers Way and Marriots/Bure Valley Way. However, both these paths necessitate crossing the extremely busy A140 with no assistance to the pedestrian – this will need to be addressed.
Although the Town Council welcomes the addition of the school the policy does not specifically include this. The notes to the policy claim a new primary school which would indicate a third school will be built but the Town Council have been informed that it is more likely that an existing school will be moved and extended on a new site. This is not clear in the policy and is not the wished for expansion of primary education in the town

Clarification for size of site would be useful as how the policy stands it might not meet the requirement in your vision for homes:

Homes
To enable delivery of high-quality homes of the right density, size, mix and tenure to meet people's needs throughout their lives and to make efficient use of land.

Also what measures are there in place to prevent repeated applications for three houses from small developers on basically the same site?