Village Clusters Housing Allocations Plan - Reg. 19 Pre-submission Addendum
Part 1 Village Cluster Chapters
1. Barford, Marlingford, Colton and Wramplingham
Form and character
Barford
1.1. Barford is a compact settlement on the north bank of the River Tiffey. Development has extended northwards away from the B1108 along Cock Street and Style Loke, with frontage development to the north of Church Lane and along Chapel Street/Marlingford Road. The historic centre of the village is concentrated on Cock Street and Chapel Street with later estate development situated off Chapel Street at Park Avenue and Clarke Close. The village is set in the attractive valley of the River Tiffey and is characterised by mature tree planting. The most sensitive area of the village is situated on either side of Cock Street where the Hall and its grounds on the west side and the popular plantation on the east side, positively contribute to the form and character of the village.
1.2. Barford has a good road link via the B1108 to Norwich 13km to the east and links via mainly unclassified roads to Wymondham 6km to the south.
Marlingford
1.3. The main village is located in the bottom of the Yare Valley on the outside of a bend in the river.
1.4. Marlingford village has developed along two sides of a triangle formed by Barford Road and Mill Road, which radiate towards the south-west from the junction with Marlingford Road. The junction forms the focal point of the village. To the north-east of the junction is the 'Old Hall' which is listed. The area around Old Hall has remained undeveloped which contributes to its setting.
1.5. The wedge of land between Barford Road and Mill Road occupied previously by allotments and The Common has remained undeveloped and is locally regarded as Marlingford's amenity area used for conservation and recreation. This contributes to the rural character of Marlingford as a village set in open countryside within the river valley.
Colton
1.6. Historically, the settlement of Colton developed with a number of large farms and small cottages which have been joined up by frontage development to form a distinct settlement grouping. To the south of Norwich Road the buildings are set in large grounds with trees and hedges along the road frontage. The area to the north of Norwich Road falls within the administrative area of the Broadland District Council. Development along The Street is of higher density.
Wramplingham
1.7. Located on the south bank of the River Tiffey, Wramplingham is characterised by its natural character and cluster of historic buildings around the large central pond. Development within the parish has been concentrated along Wymondham Road and The Street with the remainder of the parish displaying a dispersed settlement pattern comprising individual dwellings and farmsteads. The small scale development at Wymondham Road is linear in form and concentrated on the south side of the road.
Services and Community Facilities
(7)
1.8. Barford has a range of facilities including a village hall and the a primary school. There are several industrial and commercial units located within the centre of the village, which provide local employment opportunities. There are also regular bus services to Norwich and an infrequent service to Wymondham. Marlingford has a village hall, pub and daily bus service to Wymondham. Colton also has a pub and significant local employment opportunities, and there are several specialty shops across the cluster's settlements.
Settlement Limit
Barford
1.9. A Settlement Limit has been drawn to include the main built form of the settlement. A smaller Settlement Limit has been drawn around the existing properties on Church Lane to the west of the village.
1.10. Much of the central part of Barford forms part of the Barford Flood Alleviation Scheme which helps to control flooding in the village. This has therefore constrained where development could be located in the village, and has resulted in this areas has been being excluded from the Settlement Limit.
Marlingford
1.11. The Settlement Limit has been drawn to include the main built form of the settlement. Due to its rural character and very limited services the Settlement Limit has been drawn to allow only very limited infill development.
Colton
1.12. Due to the very limited facilities available in Colton the Settlement Limit has been drawn around the built form on Norwich Road, to allow for very limited infill development and to avoid further expansion into the surrounding countryside, preserving the rural character of the area.
Site allocations
VC BAR1
1.13. The site is located north of the B1108 between Cock Street to the east and Back Lane to the west. The eastern section of the site is a brownfield site that lies within the existing development boundary whilst the western section of the site extends into the open countryside. The existing commercial garage and the dwelling in the north area of the site will be demolished as part of the redevelopment of the site. The site is well connected by pedestrian access to the existing facilities in the village, including the village school on Chapel Street, and a regular bus service that runs between Norwich and Watton.
1.14. In both landscape and townscape terms the site can currently be considered in two distinct parts, separated by a mature tree belt running north-south through its centre. The west part of the site falls within the designated River Valley. The brownfield element to the east is in a prominent location at the junction of Cock Street and the B1108. The redevelopment of this site provides an opportunity to enhance the local townscape. The land at the west side of the site currently marks the transition between the village and the adjoining countryside, a change that is further enhanced by the rural appearance of Back Lane. The existing mature vegetation to the south and west of the site provides effective screening and enclosure of the site and will need to be retained and enhanced to minimise the visual impact of the development. The existing central tree belt should be incorporated into the site layout as far as possible to enhance the appearance of the site, although some tree loss will be necessary to enable access through the site. An arboriculture survey will be required to assess the condition of these trees.
1.15. Technical discussions with the Highways Authority have identified a number of on- and off-site highway works that will be necessary to ensure ongoing highway safety, including a single point of access into the site from Cock Street only. The existing garage access onto the B1108 will be closed. Other works that have been identified include improvements to the Cock Street/B1108 junction at the south-east corner of the site, a frontage footway along Cock Street and the provision of a pedestrian footway through the site connecting Cock Street to Back Lane to the west.
1.16. The Cock Inn lies directly opposite the site, south of the B1108. The supporting Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) has identified that the redevelopment of the garage site offers an opportunity to enhance the setting of this non-designated heritage asset. Sayers Farm, a listed building, lies to the south-west of the site. Retention of the existing hedgerow along the south and west boundaries will mitigate the impact of new development in this location. The HIA also notes that the B1108 creates a separation between the listed building and its setting and the site, further reducing the impact of development in this location.
1.17. Wider surface water flowpaths within the settlement have been identified however discussions with the Lead Local Flood Authority have confirmed that they do not affect the development of this site which lies north-west of these areas. However the Stage 2 identifies a high susceptibility to groundwater flooding, which combined with the nearby flowpaths, will require further investigation.
1.18. Whilst Anglian Water have measures in place to deal with river water ingress into the local sewer system, early discussions are recommended to identify preferred connection solutions.
1.19. An area of 0.76ha of land is allocated for approximately 20 dwellings which is considered to be a reasonable area to allow for the constraints and infrastructure requirements noted above to be incorporated into the site layout and design, whilst also reflecting the context of the site.
Policy VC BAR1: Land at Cock Street and Watton Road
0.76ha of land is allocated for approximately 20 dwellings.
The developer of the site will be required to ensure:
- Vehicular access into the site to be from Cock Street only, with the existing site access onto the B1108 to be closed;
- On and off-site highway works to include improvements to the Cock Street/ B1108 junction, a frontage footpath along Cock Street and a pedestrian link through the site to create a linkage between Cock Street and Back Lane;
- Submission of an arboricultural survey to determine the condition of the central tree belt and to inform a site layout and design that incorporates these trees as far as possible, as well as the protection of these trees during the construction phase of development;
- Retention, protection and enhancement of the existing vegetation and mature trees along the south and west boundaries of the site in order to minimise the visual impact of the site and protect the setting of Sayer's Farm;
- Site layout and design to have regard to the nearby heritage assets with particular consideration to be given to the setting of The Cock Inn;
- A Phase 1 and Phase 2 contamination survey be undertaken to determine the presence of any on-site contamination resulting from the former garage use of the site and to identify appropriate remediation works; and
- A site-specific Flood Risk Assessment addressing the high susceptibility to groundwater flooding and the nearby surface water flows.
(10) VC BAR2
(7) 1.20. The site is located north of Chapel Street and contains the current Barford and Wramplingham Village Hall, the accompanying playing field, and the recently refurbished playground. To the north is a small agricultural field, enclosed by hedging and some mature trees.
(14) 1.21. Whilst the current Village Hall is still fit for purpose, it would benefit from upgrading and there are concerns that the length of time left on the land lease will make it increasingly difficult to secure the ongoing funding to maintain and improve the facility. As such, a purpose-built new hall, constructed to the latest environmental standards and provided on a freehold basis to the community, is proposed as part of a package which also delivers new housing adjacent to the heart of the village.
(13) 1.22. The site is well located within Barford in terms of townscape and relationship to services. It is proposed to retain the playground, replace the current village hall, improve the existing playing pitch, and to keep these grouped together in the southern part of the site, whilst allocating approximately 40 dwellings in the northern part of the site. Keeping the community facilities at the southern end of the site has several benefits. Principal amongst these is the combined use of the facilities. This also ensures the playing field remains in close proximity to the Primary School (for school use), retains the parking close to Chapel Street for school drop off and pick-up times (reducing on-highway parking close to the school), and allows the south-east corner of the site to remain free from development helping to preserve the setting of the Listed farmhouse and associated barns.
(3) 1.23. Development of the site will need to maintain continuity of use of all of the community facilities throughout construction.
(8) 1.24. Development of the site will utilise the existing access to the Village Hall, subject to the provision of acceptable visibility splays. A 2.0m wide footway will be required on the site frontage, with a crossing point to the footways on the south of Chapel Street. The developer of the site will also need to work with the Highways Authority to promote a 20mph speed limit via the Traffic Regulation Order process.
(9) 1.25. The tree belt which bisects the site east/west will need to be retained and enhanced as far as possible, as will the vegetation on the perimeter of the site, which will help integrate the development into the surrounding countryside.
(11) 1.26. The site is at the head of a significant existing surface water flow-path, and development of the site will need to investigate the opportunities for alleviating flooding elsewhere in the village, where appropriate enhancing the existing Barford Flood Alleviation Scheme.
(3) 1.27. To the south-east of the site is the listed School Farmhouse. Retention of the playing field in its existing location will allow for the setting of the farmhouse, and the barns to the rear, to retain a more open agricultural feel. An archaeological desk-based assessment should be provided to inform any planning application, with on-site investigation prior to commencement of development if appropriate.
(2) 1.28 An area of 4.94ha of land is allocated for approximately 40 dwellings, to the north of the bisecting tree line, and a replacement village hall with car parking, retention of the existing playground and an improved playing pitch, south of the bisecting tree line. This is considered to be a reasonable area to allow for the constraints and infrastructure requirements noted above to be incorporated into the site layout and design, whilst also reflecting the context of the site.
(25) Policy VC BAR2: Land at Chapel Street
4.94ha of land is allocated for approximately 40 dwellings to the north of the bisecting tree line, and a replacement village hall with car parking, retention of the existing playground and an improved playing pitch, south of the bisecting tree line.
The developer of the site will be required to ensure:
- Delivery of a new village hall close to the existing playground, of a function equal to or better than the existing hall, with sufficient parking and constructed to the latest environmental standards, and provided freehold to the community;
- Continuity of use of a village hall and the other community facilities throughout construction of the development;
- Enhancement of the existing playing field, particularly to address existing flooding/drainage problems which currently limit its use;
- Protection, retention and enhancement of the bisecting tree line which runs east/west across the site and of vegetation on the site boundaries;
- Assessment of the opportunities arising from the site being at the head of a surface water flow-path, to alleviate flood-risk within the village and implementation of the outcomes of this assessment;
- Access using the existing village hall entrance, subject to provision of acceptable visibility splays; and
- 2.0m wide footway on the site frontage, with safe crossing points to the footways on the south of Chapel Street.
The developer of the site will also undertake to work with the Highway Authority to promote an appropriate 20mph speed limit via the Traffic Regulation Order process.
