Village Clusters Housing Allocations Plan - Alternative Sites & Focused Changes (Reg. 18)

7. Gillingham, Geldeston, and Stockton

Form and Character

Gillingham

7.1. The historic core of the village lies along The Street and Loddon Road, with a further cluster of development along Kings Dam to the west. Estate development has occurred north of The Street, and the majority of the village (contained within the Settlement Limit) is now in a nucleated form. The older part of the village is characterised by substantial tree planting along Loddon Road, in particular the wooded area to the east and the line of trees along Forge Grove which are protected by a Tree Preservation Order.

7.2. The village is set in the Waveney Valley and adjacent to the Broads, and open views out from the village make an important contribution to its rural character. The southern fringes of the parish lie within the Broads Authority area. The attractive area around Gillingham Hall and its park was designated as a Conservation Area in 1994. The parish is well served by the A146 (providing direct links to Beccles, Lowestoft, Loddon and Norwich) and the A143 (access to Bungay, Gt Yarmouth, and to the A140 and Diss).

Services and Community Facilities

7.3. Gillingham has a range of social and community facilities comprising a primary school, village hall and motel along with a regular bus service to all local towns. There is a petrol station with a convenience store and fast-food restaurants to the north at the A146/A143 roundabout, which offer local employment opportunities and have a direct pedestrian and cycle link from the village.

Settlement Limit

Gillingham

7.4. The Settlement Limit is in two parts. The first includes the main built form of the settlement. The second part is around the school and adjoining housing, an area which has been extended to include the recent development at Daisy Way, which was allocated in the 2015 Local Plan.

Site allocations and options

7.5. The January 2023 Regulation 19 document included Land south of Geldeston Road and Daisy Way, Gillingham, VC GIL1. It is proposed to retain this allocation, but also to consider it for potential extension.

7.6. Also within this cluster the document included an allocation for up to 20 dwellings North of Kell's Way, Geldeston. It is proposed to retain this allocation.

VC GIL1 REV, South of Geldeston Road and Daisy Way, Gillingham

Proposed for: VC GIL1 was included in the January 2023 Regulation 19 document as a proposed allocation of 2.36ha for approximately 35 dwellings and a potential future extension of the adjacent primary school. It is now proposed to increase the site area to 2.92ha, for an additional 5 dwellings, taking the allocation to approximately 40 dwellings as VC GIL1 REV, retaining the school expansion area.

Reasoned justification: In late 2022, shortly before the Regulation 19 publication period commenced, a planning application was submitted for 44 dwellings on a site broadly similar to the proposed allocation (Ref. 2022/1993). The application remains undetermined, and it was submitted in parallel with two other applications, one for further housing north of The Street and the other for commercial development as an extension to the A143 Gillingham Services. Whilst, at the time of writing, some technical issues on application 2022/1993 remain unresolved, it is considered that the site boundary could be extended east to allow for a slightly larger allocation of 40 dwellings.

Please note that the Council does not propose to change any other aspects of the Regulation 19 Policy for VC GIL1, other than the site area and number of dwellings. The original Policy wording can be seen here: https://southnorfolkandbroadland.oc2.uk/document/12/1228#d1378.