QUESTION 3b: If the site is allocated, do you think there are any specific requirements that should be set out in the allocation policy?

- No trees to be removed
- More trees to added
- Safer pedestrian routes around village
- Better sewage/drainage for the entire village

Majority of settlement should be actually affordable for young families. Better drainage and sewage system. New village hall and playing field.

Pedestrian crossings
Flooding
Village hall and playing field
Review of village speed limits

Village hall, playing field, play area to be kept together not to destroy the heart of the village.
Building company to held to account if flooding and sewage problems continue/get worse after the build.
Improvements to cock street entrance from watton road. 30mph on watton road.
Existing trees/hedgerows to be kept in place.
Playarea to remain open during build.

• Development to be on field north of current playing field.
• New Village Hall to be available for use before the old one is demolished and freehold given.
• Housing designs to be in keeping with village character.
• Adequate parking provision for new properties.
• Improvements to drainage/sewerage systems.
• Minimise loss of habitat and no trees to be removed.

Continuity of village parking st the village hall and access to play area and village hall at all times.
This is a small community with very few amenities so it is key that we do not lose these services.
Road safety is critical and reducing speed to 20 mph outside the school is a must.
Builders mentioned using the next field away from the village instead of the plot in question which could be considered a lesser evil.

Flood risk, especially the potential impact on surrounding areas due to non-porous tarmac, needs thorough attention. The essential role of this space in maintaining community cohesion for Barford and Wramplingham should not be underestimated.

Considering VCBAR1's earmarked development, adding more dwellings anywhere in Barford would be excessive, straining local services like healthcare and utilities in an area without a shop.

1) Local road infrastructure is already increasingly impacted by high traffic flows. In particular during morning and evening commutes, school runs and to Longwater. We would ask that communication is taken up with Marlingford & Colton Parish Council to agree mitigating action/infrastructure.
2) Local health services are already under severe pressure. Can you please confirm where the health care will be provided for new residents?
3) Education. Please confirm that the local school system is able to accept the additional children to be expected from the new development?
4) Public Transport. To help reduce traffic what provision will be made?

- A requirement for surface water management give the flood incidents and high risk levels experienced within the village
- The addressing of a waste water management when many parts of the village already experience flooding due to over capacity
- The loss of community given the proposal to have a playground which is no longer adjacent to the village hall and playing field.
- Traffic management proposals and light pollution proposals

See attachment for full representation.

Thank you for inviting Sport England to comment on the above document.

INTRODUCTORY COMMENTS

Sport England is the Government agency responsible for delivering the Government’s sporting objectives. Maximising the investment into sport and recreation through the land use planning system is one of our priorities. You will also be aware that Sport England is a statutory consultee on planning applications affecting playing fields.

Sport England has assessed this consultation in the light of Sport England’s Planning for Sport: Planning for Sport Guidance (‘Guidance’).

The overall thrust of the Guidance is that a planned approach to the provision of facilities and opportunities for sport is necessary, new sports facilities should be fit for purpose, and they should be available for community sport. To achieve this, our objectives are to:

PROTECT the right opportunities in the right places
ENHANCE opportunities through better use of existing provision
PROVIDE new opportunities to meet the needs of current and future generations.

Sport England’s aim in working with the planning system is to help provide active environments that maximise opportunities for sport and physical activity for all, enabling the already active to be more so and the inactive to become active. The importance of sport should be recognised as a key component of local plans, housing allocations and should not be considered in isolation.

The following comments are provided within the context of:

• National Planning Policy Framework (DCLG, 2023).
• Sport England’s Planning for Sport webpages including Planning for Sport Guidance https://www.sportengland.org/how-we-can-help/facilities-and-planning/planning-for-sport

COMMENTS ON THE 2021 SOUTH NORFOLK VILLAGE CLUSTERS HOUSING ALLOCATIONS PLAN

Site Allocation

Sport England have reviewed the proposed land allocations and have the following comments:

• SN6000, Land north of Chapel Street, Barford

Within this strategic site there are playing pitches, car parking and a village hall. The village hall would provide ancillary facilities for the playing field. Mitigation is proposed to relocate the playing field and village hall to the field located to the north of the existing site. Sport England requests that the policy refers to the loss of the playing field and ancillary facilities (village hall and any associated car parking) re-location and that they should be replaced by equivalent or better provision in terms of quantity and quality in a suitable location to the north of the site, in accordance with criteria b of paragraph 103 in the National Planning Policy Framework. To ensure sufficient mitigation is delivered wording in the policy should be included to the affect of ‘the loss of playing field and ancillary facilities (car parking and a village hall) resulting from the proposed development shall be replaced by equivalent or better provision in terms of quantity and quality in a suitable location to the north of the existing site.’

Closing Comments on Site Allocations

Sport England would like to highlight that any allocation that does not clearly indicate the protection or replacement of a sports facility would be contrary to the NPPF, paragraph 103, and Sport England’s Planning Policy unless the specific facility is identified as surplus within a robust borough wide sport facility strategy. Sport England, therefore, advise that the allocations are clear that sports facilities are protected or replaced in advance of any development in accordance with the criteria in paragraph 103 of the NPPF.

Where on-site or off-site replacement provision is required to facilitate the development of a site, the replacement site should be referenced in the policy and if appropriate a related site allocation should be made in the plan to provide certainty that the facility can be replaced in practice.

Please note that if Sport England has missed any sport facility that falls within any land allocation, then this does not mean the facility is surplus to current or future need. As stated in the NPPF, sport facilities should be protected unless they are surplus to current or future needs, replaced or lost to another sport facility the benefits of which outweighs the harm caused by the loss.

Any new housing developments will generate additional demand for sport. If existing sports facilities do not have the capacity to absorb the additional demand, then planning policies should look to ensure that new sports facilities, or improvements to existing sports facilities, are secured and delivered through planning obligations or CIL. Proposed actions to meet the demand should accord with any approved local plan or neighbourhood plan policy for social infrastructure, along with priorities resulting from any assessment of need, or set out in any playing pitch or other indoor and/or outdoor sports facility strategy that the local authority has or will have in place.

In line with the Government’s NPPF (including Section 8) and its Planning Practice Guidance (Health and wellbeing section), consideration should also be given to how any new development, especially for new housing, will provide opportunities for people to lead healthy lifestyles and create healthy communities. Sport England’s Active Design guidance can be used to help with this when developing planning policies and developing or assessing individual proposals.

Address flooding and sewage for Barford residents.
Keep village hall and playground/playing field at the heart of village.
Manage volume of traffic to and from site , close to school, a potential serious hazard.

I would like to re-iterate my robust objection to any suggestion of this development. Any investigation or work suggested below should be extensive and remain independent from the landowners and developers, but be at their cost. Any suggestion of work or rejecting development should be heeded.

• The suggested number of houses should be severely decreased, to at least single digits
• Investigation of the current flooding issues across the village
• Work to ensure the flooding issues are mitigated and formal guarantee/indemnity that any failure of which is covered by the landowners/developers
• The council should fund equivalent greenspace, that would be lost, for the village within the direct vicinity of the village
• Investigation into the historical impact on adjacent, important buildings and guarantee that any suggested work is undertaken
• Investigation into the current access and road network suitability
• Any work completed, as is suggested from any access/road network investigation, including speed limits, traffic calming measures etc.
• Additional funding from the developers for the village school, plus a council guarantee for children within the village will have a place at the school.
• Considerable parking restrictions, and associated management, placed on the spaces designated for school pick up and the village hall to ensure it is not utilised by, for example, visitors to the new houses with overnight parking etc. The cost for any management of this should come from the developer on a yearly basis.
• Investigation into the environmental impact on the village, including loss of greenspace, wildlife and increase in light.
• Any work suggested from the environmental impact investigation.
• Any loss of access to the amenities of this area (village hall, car park, field and play park) during the process of construction should come with a considerable daily penalty fee which is payable to the village hall, to be used by the community
• The inter-relationship of the village hall, car park, field and play-park should remain, hence they should remain in their current position.
• Additional funding to local healthcare services (including dental) to account for the increase in population.
• Should the development not go ahead there should be a clear and formal agreement made by the landowners with the village hall committee, regarding the future of the village hall and associated land beyond the current lease.