South Norfolk Village Clusters Housing Allocations Plan (Reg. 18 Draft)
41. Thurton and Ashby St Mary
Form and character
Development within Thurton parish has been concentrated along Ashby Road north of the A146 and is contiguous with the main built-up area of Ashby St Mary. Development south of the A146 is limited to The Street and Loddon Road. In Thurton, detached clusters of development exist along Cookes Road, White Heath Road and Hall Road; in Ashby St Mary, a detached cluster of development exists at Mill Common, to the east of the built-up area, and scattered development at Low Common and along Folly Lane. The remainder of both parishes is made up of individual dwellings and farmsteads.
The village is based on the historic road network, in particular Mill Road/Ashby Road and The Street, although estate development has occurred on either side of Mill Road/Ashby Road, resulting in a nucleated settlement form. The village of Thurton is set in an attractive tributary valley of the River Yare. The wooded areas to the north and east of the village are a particularly attractive feature of the valley and are important in the rural setting of the village, and combined with the open character of The Street give the village an attractive semi-rural character. The A146 provides good road links with Norwich, Loddon and Beccles.
Services and Community Facilities
There is a range of facilities, including a preschool group, primary school, church, village hall, recreation facilities and pub. There is also a regular bus service. The village is on mains sewerage.
Settlement Limit and Constraints
The Settlement Limit includes the main built form of the settlement. No alterations are proposed to the existing Settlement Limit.
(6) QUESTION 141: Do you agree with the extent of the Settlement Limit and any changes proposed? If not, please explain what further changes should be made.
Preferred and Shortlisted Sites
9 sites have been promoted for consideration, of which none were identified as preferred or shortlisted sites.
Rejected Sites
The following site(s) were promoted for development but have been rejected on the basis of information available at the time of assessment.
|
Site |
Location and Reasons for Rejection |
|
SN0029 |
Land south of Vale Road, Thurton The site is relatively well contained and could be developed without intruding into the wider landscape. However, access onto A146, which is a Principle Route, would not be appropriate. Access from the narrow access via Vale Road does not appear to be feasible. |
|
SN0470 |
Land north of Vale Road, Thurton Although adjacent to the existing settlement limit and in a sustainable location, the local road network is considered to be substandard and unable to accommodate further growth. Consideration would also need to be given to the impact of development on the local landscape, particularly on the existing trees. |
|
SN0472 |
Land south of Vale Road, Thurton The site has been considered as both an allocation and a settlement limit extension. Both forms of development are considered to have a detrimental impact on the landscape. Access constraints have also been identified. |
|
SN0585 |
Land opposite Hill Farm Barn and Hill Top Barn, Mill Common, Ashby St Mary The site has been considered as both a settlement limit extension and an allocation. The site is removed from the main part of the settlement and located along a narrow country lane, resulting in a poor relationship to services. Development of the site would be expected to have an adverse impact on setting of non-designated heritage assets. |
|
SN2048 |
Land East of The Street, Thurton The site is relatively well contained within the existing structure of the settlement. However, as access is not possible from the A146 it is severely constrained due to the very narrow site frontage on to The Street. |
|
SN4008 |
Land to the SW of The Street, Thurton The site forms an important part of setting of grade I listed church on the hill. Development on this site would have significant impact on the setting of the listed building. |
|
SN4038 |
Land South of Mill Road, Ashby St. Mary Development of the site would have poor relationship with existing development to the east due to the lack of connectivity. There are potential access constraints from Mill Road. |
|
SN4039 |
Land south of Mill Road, Ashby St Mary (reduced site) The site is promoted at a density that would result in an inefficient use of land. Development of a larger site would have poor relationship with existing development to the east due to the lack of connectivity. There are also potential access constraints from Mill Road |
|
SN4040 |
Land south of Mill Common, Ashby St Mary This is primarily on the basis of adverse impacts on the local landscape including a requirement to remove existing vegetation and trees in order to create a suitable access and adequate visibility at the Mill Common/ Mill Road/ Ashby Road junction. |
(24) QUESTION 142: Do you think that any of the rejected sites should be preferred for allocation?
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