Village Clusters Housing Allocations Plan - Reg. 19 Pre-submission Addendum

11. Wicklewood

Form and Character

11.1. The main concentration of development has taken place along Wymondham Road, High Street, Hackford Road, Church Lane and Low Street. Further clusters of development have taken place at Milestone Lane and The Green. Individual farmsteads and dwellings are sparsely distributed through the rest of the parish. The core of the village has frontage development which encircles the nursery, mushroom farm and some agricultural land. A couple of small estate-type developments have grown up at All Saints Close and Hillside Crescent. Church Lane and Low St are located on the north-facing slope of a valley, and the dwellings here benefit from views of the surrounding countryside. The Grade II listed windmill is a distinctive feature on the eastern side of the High Street and dominates the skyline of this part of the village. Good road links exist to Wymondham and Hingham via the B1135 and B1108 respectively.

Services and Community Facilities

11.2. There is a good range of facilities including a primary school, village hall, recreation field and pub. Wicklewood has a regular bus service to Norwich and Wymondham.

Settlement Limit

11.3. The Settlement Limit has been drawn to include the main built form of the settlement. There is a small break in the Settlement Limit where the central agricultural land is accessed (behind the mushroom farm on Church Lane).

11.4. The South Norfolk Place-making Guide advocates protection of the setting of local landmarks, such as Wicklewood windmill. There are surface water drainage issues in the village, and development must address this issue.

Site allocations

(10) VC WIC1REV

11.5. The site is located west of The Green, southwest of Hackford Road and south of Wicklewood Primary School. The site is in a prominent location on the approach to the village and currently marks the transition between the surrounding countryside and the settlement. The main focus of the settlement is to the north of Hackford Road and is accessible via the existing pedestrian footways in the village. A wider range of facilities and services are also available in the market town of Wymondham, located a short distance from the village.

(2) 11.6. The site is within a prominent plateau landform and forms a smaller area within a comprises the eastern section of a larger agricultural field. The site extends between the existing northern and southern boundaries of the field. As such it is recognised that there are landscape and visual impacts associated with development of this site. However, an assessment of the context of the site has confirmed that with careful landscaping and layout this site offers an opportunity to create a key gateway entrance to the village, as well as reinstate previously lost hedgerow landscape features. To achieve these objectives there will be a particular emphasis on the soft landscaping, on-site tree planting and the layout and design of the site, as well as the retention and the reinforcement of the existing natural boundaries to the north and south of the site. This landscape focus is reinforced by the organic boundaries of the site. An area of open space in the northeast corner of the site will form a visual focal point around the existing village sign, reinforcing the gateway location and retaining an open aspect at the junction of Hackford Road, Wymondham Road and The Green.

11.7. Vehicular access to the site will only be permissible via The Green and a suite of off-site highways works have been identified as being necessary to support the development of this site. These highways works include: localised carriageway widening of The Green to a width of 5.5 metres between the site entrance and Hackford Road, a frontage footway across the site frontage and extending north to Wicklewood Primary School and the creation of a crossing point to the connect the site to existing facilities to the north of Hackford Road.

(3) 11.8. An area of surface water flooding has been identified to the south of the site, with some areas of ponding also noted within the carriageway along the site frontage, however this is not considered to be a constraint that would prevent development of the site. In accordance with the Stage 2 Strategic Flood Risk Assessment (SFRA) undertaken for the site the developer will be required to avoid developing the area of surface water flood risk at the southern end of the site and ensure that a safe access and egress can be maintained to the site during flood events.

(3) 11.9. The site is within the catchment of Wymondham Water Recycling Centre (WRC) and the in-combination effects with development identified in the GNLP may require phasing of this site beyond the early years of the Plan. Anglian Water (AW) have identified the presence of AW assets within or close to the site boundary and it is therefore recommended that the developer of the site seeks early engagement with Anglian Water during the preparation of a site layout to ensure that these are incorporated into the site design appropriately.

(1) 11.10. An area of 1.63ha is allocated for up to 30 dwellings. An area of 2.97ha is allocated for up to 40 dwellings. This is considered a reasonable site area to ensure that landscaping of the site is appropriate to respond to the identified landscape constraints. 

Policy VC WIC1REV: Land to the south of Wicklewood Primary School

1.63ha2.97ha is allocated for up to 3040 dwellings.

The development of the site will be required to ensure:

• Landscaping of the southern and western boundarieswestern boundary of the site, respecting the need to integrate the site with the surrounding open rural landscape, as well as the retention and reinforcement of the existing hedgerows and trees along the northern boundary and southern boundaries of the site;
• A layout that includes an area of open space around the existing village sign to create a gateway into the settlement;
• A site-specific Flood Risk Assessment (FRA) and strategy to inform the access arrangements and layout of the site, having regard to the Stage 2 VC Strategic Flood Risk Assessment (SFRA); and
• Off-site highway works to include localised carriageway widening of The Green to a width of 5.5metres between the site entrance and Hackford Road, a footpath along the site frontage to connect with Wicklewood Primary School and a crossing point across Hackford Road to improve connectivity to the existing settlement; and
• Early engagement with Anglian Water regarding their infrastructure on and adjoining the site.

VC WIC2

11.11. The site is located south-west of Hackford Road and north of Wicklewood Primary School. The Grade I listed St Andrew's and All Saints Church is to the north of the site. Wicklewood War Memorial is also located within the churchyard. The main focus of the settlement lies to the east of Hackford Road and is accessible via the existing pedestrian footways in the village. A wider range of facilities and services are also available in the market town of Wymondham, located a short distance from the village.

11.12. The site is currently in use for grazing and is well contained within the landscape with existing residential development to the east and west. An established hedgerow denotes the boundary along Hackford Road, with mature trees restricting views into the site from the north. Development of the site will need to maximise opportunities to maintain wider views of the Church whilst also seeking to conserve its immediate setting. The Heritage Impact Assessment concludes that with an appropriate site design and layout, as well as reinforcement of the existing landscaping to the north, the impact on the wider views of the Church can be mitigated appropriately.

11.13. The Highways Authority have advised that a frontage footway connecting the site to Wicklewood Primary School will be necessary. Vehicular access with appropriate visibility splays may result in the loss of the existing hedgerow along Hackford Road however opportunities to retain or replace this with appropriate landscaping should be included within the site layout and design.

11.14. The site is within the catchment of Wymondham Water Recycling Centre (WRC) and the in-combination effects with development identified in the GNLP may require phasing of this site beyond the early years of the Plan.

11.15. An area of 0.89 hectares is allocated for a minimum of 12 dwellings which is considered to be an appropriate density reflecting the wider context of the site.

Policy VC WIC2: Land off Hackford Road

0.89 ha is allocated for a minimum of 12 dwellings.

The development of the site will be required to ensure:

• Site layout and design to maximise wider views of St Andrews and All Saints Church, whilst also seeking to conserve the immediate setting of the heritage asset;
• Retention and enhancement of the existing landscaping along the northern boundary of the site; and
• Highways works to include pedestrian footpath along the site frontage to connect to Wicklewood Primary School and a crossing point on Hackford Road to improve access to the other services and facilities in the village.

Carried forward allocations

VC WIC3

11.16. Previously called WIC1, this allocation from the 2015 Local Plan is carried forward within this document to ensure that development on the site continues to be achievable in an appropriate manner. An application for 9 dwellings has been submitted and at the time of preparing this plan is pending determination (2021/1076), subject to a solution addressing the wider nutrient neutrality matter.

11.17. Part of this site fronts onto Hackford Road, with the rest of the site wrapping behind the curtilage of existing housing. 

Policy VC WIC3: Land at Hackford Road

0.7 hectares is allocated for housing for approximately 6 dwellings.

The developer of the site is required to ensure the following:

• Vehicular access from Hackford Road;
• Appropriate landscaping to the south of the site to minimise its visual impact on St Andrew and All Saints Church and its setting, as well as appropriate boundary treatments along the north and east boundaries of the site to reflect its rural context and edge of settlement location.