Local Plan Further Consultation
Dear Clerk,
Local Plan Further Consultation (to address the planning inspector’s interim findings)
I am writing to bring to your attention and provide notification of a further Local Plan public consultation which begins midday on Thursday 7 November and closes at midday on Thursday 19 December. Please note that this consultation contains proposals which are relevant to your parish.
Background
The Draft North Norfolk Local Plan is currently being examined by an independent Planning Inspector, Mr David Reed, who was appointed by the Planning Inspectorate (PINS) to determine if the Plan is sound, legally compliant, and suitable to be adopted.
On 22nd July the Council received a letter setting out the Inspectors interim findings into the examination. In his letter, the Inspector highlighted three main areas of concern relating to the soundness of the Plan where he considered that changes would be required, and specifically requested that further consultation is undertaken.
The Inspector identified the following main soundness concerns:
1. A shortfall in housing provision
2. The approach to Small Growth Villages as set out in Policy SS1 of the emerging Plan.
3. Updating the Gypsy and Traveller evidence base to reflect the change in definition brought in in December 2023 and to bring forward any necessary changes to the Plan that might arise from this updated evidence.
In summary, these concerns are centred around the need to provide more flexibility in the delivery of new housing and to ensure that the Plan meets the revised level of housing need (as determined by the governments ‘Standard Methodology’) across the revised Plan period of 2024-40, and, broadening our development strategy in smaller settlements to support additional growth, including that which allows rural areas to grow and thrive.
At the Planning Policy & Built Heritage Working Party meeting in October, members agreed an Action Plan[1] to address these issues. The Action Plan was subsequently agreed at Cabinet on Monday 4 November. Further detail around the issues and the proposals to address them are detailed within the consultation document.
Proposed Changes
In order to address the Inspectors concerns, a number of ‘Proposed Changes’ to the submitted Local Plan are identified within the consultation document and which cover the following settlements:
Proposed Change
Related Settlement
New or Extended Site Allocations:
Large Growth Towns: Cromer, North Walsham.
Small Growth Towns: Hoveton, Stalham.
Large Growth Villages: Blakeney, Briston, Ludham, Mundesley.
New Small Growth Villages
(amend Policy SS1 Spatial Strategy to increase the number of Small Growth Villages).
Beeston Regis, Erpingham, Felmingham, Great Ryburgh, Itteringham, Langham, Northrepps, Stibbard, Tunstead, Worstead.
All Small Growth Villages - 23 as per the submitted Plan, plus the proposed additional 10 new villages.
(amend Policy SS1 Spatial Strategy to increase the level of proposed housing growth from 6% to 9% in all Small Growth Villages[2])
Aldborough, Bacton, Badersfield, Binham, Catfield, Corpusty & Saxthorpe, East Runton,Happisburgh, High Kelling, Horning, Little Snoring, Little Walsingham, Overstrand, Potter Heigham, Roughton, Sculthorpe, Sea Palling, Southrepps, Sutton, Trunch, Walcott, West Runton, Weybourne.
Plus, the above 10 proposed new Small Growth Villages.
Gypsy & Traveller Accommodation Needs
(update Section 7.5 of the Plan to align with the latest evidence in Appendix 4 of the consultation document).
N/A
The Proposed Changes are part of the agreed Action Plan and timeline for addressing the remaining issues in order to support bringing the Local Plan forward to adoption as soon as possible. Without these changes it is considered probable that the Government would require the Council to start its Local Plan preparation process again.
Without an up-to-date Local Plan in place, communities would be at risk of speculative and unplanned development proposals across the district in order to meet housing needs. Such a situation would also present a lost opportunity to influence development in the district in line with up-to-date planning policies (including those which support the Council’s climate change ambitions). Any new Local Plan would need to conform to the latest version of the National Planning Policy Framework and the expected significantly higher annual housing requirement.[3]
Consultation
Communities now have the opportunity to comment on the additional proposals through this consultation and it is expected that further public hearing session(s) will be held in the New Year.
Full details of the consultation and how to respond are included within the consultation document. All relevant information will be available at www.north-norfolk.gov.uk/localplanconsultation by midday onThursday 7 November.
Responses must be received by midday Thursday 19 December 2024. All responses will firstly be considered by the Council, and subsequently by the appointed Planning Inspector who will consider them as part of the ongoing examination, and to inform any future public hearings which may be required.
It is important to note that this consultation is not inviting comments on other aspects of the draft North Norfolk Local Plan.
For further information please contact me directly through the email below.
Yours sincerely
Iain Withington
This is the response of the Parish Council to the Consultation, however the process is open to any member of the community who wishes to express their view.
Aldborough and ThurgartonParish Council
For the attention of Planning Policy NNDC
Local Plan Further Consultation.
This document is in response to the Local Plan Further Consultation (to address the planning inspector’s interim findings) for Aldborough and Thurgarton Parish Council.
In the call for Sites the following areas are identified: -
Land at junction of Harmers Lane and School Road
Land adjacent to Chapel Road and Doctors Surgery
Land adjacent to “Greystones House” Thurgarton Road
Land at Chapel Road and School Road
Land opposite Manor Farm Thwaite Road
Aldborough was designated a “Conservation area” by NNDC in January 1989.
Aldborough is a hub village defined as a ‘small growth village’ and likely to benefit from additional housing which we recognize is important to our local community. However, density of development in a conservation area would be inappropriately urban.
Consequently, the Parish Council would prefer any allocation to be spread across any approved sites and of materials that maintain the rural character.
However, several areas of concern are as follows:
Some of the areas identified have very high-water tables and can be saturated after heavy rain. Given the experience in other areas of the country which have had development on such sites, the concern is that this may increase the risk of flooding in the village. If such areas were developed, there would need to be some sort of mitigation i.e. improvements to the current drainage culverts. In fact, the drainage and water infrastructure around the village (like many villages) struggles to cope with modern day loads with bursts, a feature of recent years. This should be a prime consideration for any new development site. Likewise, the village suffers power outages every winter for varying lengths of time so a resilience check or upgrade would be considered as essential.
We are described as a ‘hub’ village but public transport is currently very limited – a school bus to Aylsham High School does run in termtime but any 6th Form education requires parent’s commitment to transport students to Aylsham or the main A140 to access the Norwich service (students currently attend Norwich colleges and Reepham 6th form).
Anyone without their own transport and reliant on the public transport can find themselves unable to leave the village to work, attend hospital/dental appointments etc. investment in regular bus services to Aylsham/Holt/Norwich would improve connectivity and sustainability in the village.
Throughout the village there is an issue of vehicular and pedestrian access. Inevitably more residents and visitors to the village have their own transport – some properties have 2/3 drivers and therefore vehicles. Unfortunately, not all properties have off-road parking. With increased traffic through visitors to the shop/pub/doctor’s surgery/school, together with the rural traffic from farm vehicles – parking on the road particularly for visitors has become the ‘norm’. Statute and Byelaws on the Green do not allow parkingthough through necessity it is tolerated in some areas. Any development must benefit from off-road parking at the properties so as not to further impact this problem. We would be really interested in discussing whether any landowner selling land to a developer might help us solve some of this problem by offering to the village some mitigation in the form of a small visitor’s car park for the village.
Like many attractive villages in North Norfolk, we have seenan increase in properties being sold as 2nd homes, which does have an impact on our local communities. Whilst we recognize that this is a complicated issue to control, we also recognize that this market has increased local property prices pushing many properties out of reach of young families in the area who would like to get on the property ladder. In addition,it has a limited impact on the sustainability of local services that designate locations as “Hub villages”.
Our preference as a parish council is some affordable housing (social or part buy) which would enable local youngsters to stay in their communities and raise their families with the support of their friends and families and, as in other parts of the country, a restriction on second homes/holiday lets. The village currently has 10/12 just in the area around the Mill and Green.
Capacity at the Doctors Surgery needs to be considered. Twenty new homes would suggest anything between 40 to 80 additional patients but, it should be recognized that the Surgery covers a much wider community than Aldboroughand Thurgarton. Housing developments within that wider area will create additional pressure on patient access and service.
The school while recognized as Aldborough school is actually in the parish of Alby. Although the viability of the school would certainly benefit from a fresh influx there is, and has been for many years, a problem of pedestrian and vehicular access. The footpath from the village to the school has become severely compromised as the verge separating the footpath from the single-track road has been eroded (reported to Highways without any action).
In addition, an informal one-way system operates at peak times as the roads cannot accommodate two passing vehicles.
In Summary, the Parish Council is not opposed to limited residential development but the above comments are strongly felt and in our view demand detailed consideration.
The Parish Council is mindful of it’s responsibility towards maintaining the status and advantages of a conservation area. Development of between 14 and 20 houses on one site would not in our view support that.
For and on behalf of Aldborough and Thurgarton Parish Council.
D. R. Hooker
Chair