Village Clusters Housing Allocations Plan - Reg. 19 Pre-submission Addendum
3. Ditchingham, Broome, Hedenham and Thwaite
Form and character
Ditchingham
3.1. Development within the parish has been concentrated along Loddon Road, Norwich Road, Station Road and Thwaite Road to form the established village of Ditchingham. Abutting the village to the east is the village of Broome. To the south of the parish at Ditchingham Dam is a small area of development which is contiguous with the built-up area of Bungay lying largely within the Broads Authority area and includes the large development on the former maltings sites. Development within the remainder of the parish comprises of individual dwellings and farmsteads.
3.2. The village has developed a nucleated settlement form largely as a result of substantial post-war development. The majority of this growth has taken the form of estate development between Thwaite Road and Loddon Road. An area of 1950s Tayler and Green housing at Windmill Green and Scudamore Place makes a significant contribution to the character of the village and is now a Conservation Area. The A143 runs across the south of the parish linking with Beccles and the A146 to the east and Harleston, the A140 and Diss to the west. The B1332 provides a link to Norwich, whilst local road and pedestrian facilities provide easy access to Bungay.
3.3. The village lies close to the Broads, and a large area of the southern part of the parish lies within the Broads Authority area.
Broome
3.4. Development within the parish has been along Yarmouth Road and Sun Road in a linear form with an isolated group of development at Broome Street. Elsewhere the parish displays a dispersed settlement pattern comprising individual dwellings and farmsteads. The south-western end of the village merges with development at Ditchingham so that there is no clear distinction between the two settlements at this point.
3.5. The village is set in attractive open countryside within the Waveney Valley. Broome Heath, a County Wildlife Site, lies to the north of Yarmouth Road and the undeveloped nature of this side of Yarmouth Road provides an open aspect which contributes significantly towards the rural character of the village. The A143, which by-passes the village, provides a link to Harleston and Diss to the south-west and Beccles and Great Yarmouth to the north-east, as well as Lowestoft via the A146. Local road and pedestrian links provide easy access to Bungay to the south, whilst the nearby B1332 provides a link to Norwich to the north.
3.6. Part of the parish lies within the Broads Authority area.
Hedenham
3.7. Hedenham is a sparsely populated parish. It mainly comprises individual dwellings and farms with a small concentration of development on Church Road. The settlement is set in attractive open countryside interspersed with small wooded areas and is partly situated on the south slope of a small valley bounded to the east by Hedenham Park giving a rural character. The settlement is characterised by traditional cottages with some Tayler and Green housing at Smiths Knoll and both Hedenham Hall and Ditchingham Hall with their associated parklands form an attractive area of historic parkland.
3.8. Hedenham has had a designated Conservation Area since 1994.
Thwaite
3.9. The main concentration of development within the parish has taken place along Bungay Road towards the church. Individual dwellings and farmsteads are sparsely distributed throughout the remainder of the parish. The agricultural nature and the open countryside all emphasis the rural character of the area.
Services and Community Facilities
3.10. The cluster has a range of social, recreational and community facilities including a village hall, recreation field, shop, post office, pub, restaurant and primary school. The cluster is also home to several employment uses across different sectors. Hedenham has a limited bus service to Norwich and Bungay. Broome has a semi-regular bus service to Diss, Bungay, Beccles and Yarmouth. Ditchingham is included on all of these bus routes. Ditchingham has a semi-regular bus service to Diss, Bungay, Beccles and Yarmouth and a limited service to Norwich. Broome has a semi-regular bus service to Diss, Bungay, Beccles and Yarmouth.
Settlement Limit
Ditchingham
3.11. The Settlement Limit has been drawn to include the main built form of the settlement, and to include the land to the north of Rider Haggard Way previously allocated in the 2015 Local Plan. An additional area of land promoted as part of the Plan process on land north-west of Lambert's Way has been assessed and incorporated into the updated Settlement Limit.
Broome
3.12. The Settlement Limit has been drawn to include the existing linear pattern of development in the settlement and to include the allocations made on the Old Yarmouth Road within the 2015 Local Plan.
Hedenham
3.13. The Settlement Limit has been drawn around the area of Smiths Knoll to allow for limited sensitive infill only due to the limited facilities available and character of the Conservation Area.
Site allocations
(1) VC DIT1 REV
3.14. The site is located to the north-east of the village, immediately north of the 2015 allocation site DIT1. DIT1 is currently under construction. A Public Right of Way (PROW), Ditchingham FP5, runs north-south, parallel to the west east boundary of the site. Ditchingham Church of England Primary Academy is located within 100 metres of the site and the site is well connected to the other existing services and facilities within the settlement. Regular bus Bus services connect residents of Ditchingham with Bungay to the south and Norwich to the north.
3.15. The site lies within a larger agricultural field and is bound to the east, south and west by residential development. Wider views of the site are limited due to the presence of a substantial tree belt along the northern perimeter of the wider field, as well as existing vegetation to the east along Thwaite Road. Although the site lies within a River Valley setting it has a strong relationship with the existing built form of the settlement and will not have an adverse landscape impact.
3.16. Access to the site will be via Hamilton Way to the south with additional pedestrian connectivity provided to Ditchingham FP5. The site layout and design, including infrastructure and connectivity, should maximise opportunities to respond to the adjacent development site (2019/1925). Particular regard should be given to the amenities of both existing and future residents along all of the site boundaries.
3.17. Discussions with the Lead Local Flood Authority have identified an area of the site that is at risk of flooding during the 0.1% AEP flood event. In conjunction with the promoter of the site the site area has been amended drawn to minimise the impact of this constraint. It is noted that the identified surface water flowpath contributes to a wider off-site flowpath and the drainage strategy for the scheme will need to respond to this appropriately. In order to satisfy the requirements of the Environment Agency (EA), the drainage strategy will also need to ensure that waterflows from the site can be accommodated without impacting on the status of the River Waveney in accordance with the appropriate legislation and guidance. A site-specific Flood Risk Assessment will be required, with consideration given to the key issues identified in the Stage 2 VC Strategic Flood Risk Assessment (SFRA).
3.18. Anglian Water (AW) has advised that their infrastructure may crosses the site and the developer is encouraged to enter into early engagement with AW regarding this potential constraint. VC DIT1REV is in addition to the 2015 Local Plan allocations in Ditchingham and Broome, and the cumulative impact of recent and planned growth may require phasing of VC DIT1REV to allow for upgrades to Ditchingham Water Recycling Centre.
(1) 3.19. Broome Heath County Wildlife Site (CWS) is to the south of Loddon Road and includes Broome Heath Pit Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in the north-east corner. Impacts on these sites will need to be adequately mitigated.
3.20. The Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) has identified cropmarks within the boundaries of the allocation site. These will require further investigation prior to the commencement of development on site.
3.21. The Minerals and Waste Authority has identified the site as being underlain, or partially underlain, by safeguarded sand and gravel resources. As such development on the site must comply with the relevant minerals and waste safeguarding policy in the Norfolk Minerals and Waste Local Plan.
3.22 An area of 1.56ha 2.53ha of land is allocated for up to 35 45 dwellings, a scale of development that is considered to be acceptable within the context of the surrounding built form and sufficient to deliver the required standard infrastructure whilst addressing the constraints addressed above.
(6) Policy VC DIT1REV: Land at Thwaite's and Tunneys Lane
1.56ha2.53ha of land is allocated for up to 3545 dwellings.
The developer of the site is required to ensure:
- Vehicular access to the site to be via Hamilton Way with pedestrian connectivity to Ditchingham FP5 to be created;
- Site layout and design to respond to the existing built forms adjacent to the site, including in terms of building height and massing, safeguarding the residential amenities of existing and future residents and maximising opportunities for connectivity;
- Early engagement with Anglian Water (AW) to identify infrastructure crossing the site and connection to the local water recycling network;
possible infrastructure crossing the site and the need to phase the site for possible upgrades to the Ditchingham Water Recycling Centre; - Protection of the
matureestablished treesonsituated both along the site boundaries and outside the site during the construction phase of development; - A site-specific Flood Risk Assessment (FRA) and strategy, to inform the layout of the site, which has regard to the requirements of the Stage 2 VC Strategic Flood Risk Assessment
to demonstrate that the site is not at an increased risk of flooding in the future, that the development of the site does not increase the risk of surface water flooding on the site and to neighbouring properties, and how the natural flood storage provided by the pre-developed site is preserved; and - Historic Environment Record to be consulted to determine the need for any archaeological surveys prior to development.
VC BRM1
3.23. The site is located to the north-east of the main residential area in the village. VC BRM1 is a linear site within a wider agricultural field. It is adjacent to the 2015 Local Plan housing allocation (BRO1). The site runs parallel to Old Yarmouth Road and currently there are no boundary features to the north, east or west of the site. A detached dwelling set in a substantial plot lies to the south of Old Yarmouth Road opposite the site.
(1) 3.24. Norfolk County Council (NCC) Highways Authority have advised that on-and off-site highway works will include widening of the existing pedestrian footpath along the site frontage as well as speed restriction measures to be agreed with the Highways Authority.
(1) 3.25. The site extends development into the open countryside. The Landscape and Visual Appraisal (LVA) notes the need for careful design and landscaping to create both a gateway into the village from the north and to integrate the site into the surrounding countryside. To the north and the west of the site there is an open landscape with no existing screening and this aspect will be visible from nearby footpath Broome FP5. As such, careful consideration will need to be given to the open aspects of the site to ensure it is successfully contained within the wider landscape.
3.26. Whilst the Stage 2 Strategic Flood Risk Assessment has confirmed that the site is not affected by surface water flooding in the modelled scenarios, the northern and eastern boundaries of the site border an area identified as currently being Flood Zone 2. The developer of the site will be required to submit a site-specific Flood Risk Assessment (FRA) that includes detailed modelling to investigate the extent of this flood zone in the future in order to determine whether it will encroach into the site.
(1) 3.27. Anglian Water (AW) has confirmed that whilst there is currently capacity at Ditchingham Wastewater Recycling Centre, the cumulative growth anticipated in the area may require infrastructure upgrades to accommodate the development. The developer is therefore encouraged to enter into early engagement with AW regarding this matter.
3.28. In order to satisfy the requirements of the Environment Agency (EA), the drainage strategy will also need to ensure that waterflows from the site can be accommodated without impacting on the status of the River Waveney in accordance with the appropriate legislation and guidance.
3.29. An area of 0.62ha is allocated for at least 12 dwellings in this location. This is considered to be an appropriate area of land to deliver the standard infrastructure on site and incorporate appropriate landscaping to integrate the site into the wider landscape.
(12) Policy VC BRM1: Land west of Old Yarmouth Road
0.62ha of land is allocated for at least 12 dwellings.
The developer of the site is required to ensure:
- Highways improvement works to include widening of the existing frontage footpath along Old Yarmouth Road, as well as speed limiting measures as required by the Highways Authority;
- Frontage development to Old Yarmouth Road only with development to be of a form and character that is compatible with the surrounding area;
- Landscaping of the boundaries with the open countryside to successfully contain the impact of development and integrate the site into the wider countryside;
- A site-specific Flood Risk Assessment (FRA) and strategy, to inform the layout of the site, which has regard to the requirements of the Stage 2 VC Strategic Flood Risk Assessment;
- Early engagement with Anglian Water (AW) to ensure that there is adequate capacity, or capacity can be made available, in the wastewater network; and
- Historic Environment Record to be consulted to determine the need for any archaeological surveys prior to development.
