Draft Local Plan-Part 2 Site Allocations

Comment

Representation ID: 23089

Received: 16/03/2020

Respondent: Orbit Homes

Agent: David Lock Associates

Due to the formatting of the representation it is not possible to replicate it in this format, so please refer to the attached document "Sites Document of the GNLP Regulation 18(c) - January 2020) Orbit Homes and Bowbridge Strategic Land representations, prepared by David Lock Associates)

In the absence of this re-assessment of the new settlement proposals consistently with one another as well as the other ‘reasonable alternatives’, we have serious reservations as to the soundness of the GNLP Sites Document and its likely success at Examination.

Comment

Representation ID: 23122

Received: 16/03/2020

Respondent: Orbit Homes

Agent: David Lock Associates

Due to the formatting of the representation it is not possible to replicate it in this format, so please refer to the attached document "Sites Document of the GNLP Regulation 18(c) - January 2020) Orbit Homes and Bowbridge Strategic Land representations, prepared by David Lock Associates)

In the absence of this re-assessment of the new settlement proposals consistently with one another as well as the other ‘reasonable alternatives’, we have serious reservations as to the soundness of the GNLP Sites Document and its likely success at Examination.

Comment

Representation ID: 23123

Received: 16/03/2020

Respondent: Orbit Homes

Agent: David Lock Associates

Due to the formatting of the representation it is not possible to replicate it in this format, so please refer to the attached document "Sites Document of the GNLP Regulation 18(c) - January 2020) Orbit Homes and Bowbridge Strategic Land representations, prepared by David Lock Associates)

In the absence of this re-assessment of the new settlement proposals consistently with one another as well as the other ‘reasonable alternatives’, we have serious reservations as to the soundness of the GNLP Sites Document and its likely success at Examination.

Comment

Representation ID: 23124

Received: 16/03/2020

Respondent: Orbit Homes

Agent: David Lock Associates

Due to the formatting of the representation it is not possible to replicate it in this format, so please refer to the attached document "Sites Document of the GNLP Regulation 18(c) - January 2020) Orbit Homes and Bowbridge Strategic Land representations, prepared by David Lock Associates)

In the absence of this re-assessment of the new settlement proposals consistently with one another as well as the other ‘reasonable alternatives’, we have serious reservations as to the soundness of the GNLP Sites Document and its likely success at Examination.

Object

Representation ID: 23201

Received: 16/03/2020

Respondent: Orbit Homes

Agent: Armstrong Rigg Planning

Orbit Homes object to the identification of Land south of St Mary’s Road, Long Stratton (ref. GNLP0509)
(henceforth ‘the site’) as an ‘unreasonable site’. This conclusion is not justified by the Council’s own evidence and clearly fails to reflect the sustainability of this site to deliver much needed new homes in the town. This document sets out a background to the site, raises Orbit Homes’ serious concerns regarding the assessment of the site and provides a summary of the promoted development. It should be read alongside Orbit Homes’ representations to draft Policy 1 and draft Policy 7.2 of the Strategy Document. These representations demonstrate that, due to significant under delivery during the Joint Core Strategy plan period (caused by stalled development on many large sites), the Greater Norwich authorities will not meet their City Deal commitment to deliver 40,000 new homes by 2026 unless significant additional allocations on deliverable sites are identified. One such large site that has stalled is the 1,800 home allocation in Long Stratton.

Long Stratton was first allocated 1,800 new homes in the Joint Core Strategy in 2011 and land to the north and east of Long Stratton was allocated to meet this requirement in the Long Stratton Area Action Plan in 2016. Despite this long lead in time and initial predictions that the site would have delivered 420 dwellings by the end of 2019/20 (and would now be delivering 230 dwellings per year) 1, this site has so far failed to deliver any dwellings! The key issue with its delivery is that it is reliant on the delivery of a new bypass before the occupation of the 250th new dwelling, but the development is unable to viably deliver this bypass without significant government funding and no decision on this funding has yet been made. Planning applications have been submitted for the allocation, but they cannot be approved until the bypass has been secured. The reality of the situation is therefore that the 1,800 home allocation is likely to continue to be much delayed and its failure to progress has meant that Long Stratton has had very little growth over the last 10 years. This growth is needed now to meet current pent up needs and in particular a critical need for affordable housing to meet local needs.

The need to identify an additional deliverable housing site is therefore particularly acute in Long Stratton and these representations demonstrate that our client’s site is the only option that has been consistently assessed as suitable by the Council. It therefore essential that it is allocated to meet current local needs as soon as possible.

Background

The site has been promoted for residential development by Orbit Homes since 2016 through both the emerging Greater Norwich Local Plan, a planning application for a proposed development of 52 dwellings and a subsequent appeal:

• Local Plan Promotion: The site was submitted to the Call for Sites consultation between May- July 2016 for a proposal of 60-100 dwellings and representations were submitted to the options consultation between Jan-March 2018 to reduce the proposal to 52 dwellings.

1 Joint Core Strategy for Broadland, Norwich and South Norfolk: Annual Monitoring Report 2014-15 – Appendix A
– Greater Norwich area Five-year supply of housing assessment, December 2015

• Planning Application: A planning application (ref. 2017/0810) for 52 dwellings and large areas of open space was submitted by Orbit Homes in March 2017 and recommended for approval by officers at Planning Committee on 12th September 2018. Despite the officer’s recommendation, the application was refused by members in spite of the Council’s lack of 5 year housing supply.

• Planning Appeal: An appeal was submitted on 29th October 2018 and a Planning Inquiry held between 2nd-4th July 2019. Ahead of the Inquiry, the Council’s housing land supply improved to a point where it could demonstrate a 5 year supply. In this context, the Inspector dismissed the appeal on 23rd August 2019 for reasons relating to conflict with the locational policies in the development plan and some limited landscape/visual harm caused by the open space proposed on the western of the site’s two fields. At paragraph 34 of the Inspector’s decision2 she does, however, identify the critical need for affordable housing delivery and the uncertainty over affordable housing delivery at the 1,800 home allocation. She states that:

“The strategic allocation is expected to deliver policy compliant affordable dwellings, yet at this time, the numbers are unknown and are subject to viability testing given the objective that the allocation will partially fund the bypass. Consequently, in this context, there is a current undersupply of affordable dwellings both in Long Stratton and the wider housing market area. For this reason, I attach significant weight to the delivery of affordable housing in this scheme.”