South Norfolk Village Clusters Housing Allocations Plan (Reg. 19 Pre-submission Draft)

Evidence is needed to show how good low carbon public transport services will be provided between villages which have been formed as 'clusters' and share facilities such as shops, surgeries, schools and other basic conveniences.

This part includes vague ambitions to improve infrastructure, but nowhere is it mentioned how to achieve this in a sustainable fashion.

Mention should be made that houses will strive to attain zero carbon and use low embodied carbon materials in construction.

We can find no mention of houses being built with installation of low carbon technology or increased use of low embodied carbon materials in construction.
Table 3.1 and 6.9
Houses : 'Support timely delivery of an appropriate mix of housing types and tenures to ensure supply of high-quality housing across the village clusters which meets the needs of South Norfolk residents and diversify the housing market to help maintain delivery.’

Evidence is needed to show how emissions will be reduced. Good low carbon public transport services should be provided between villages which have been formed as 'clusters' and share facilities such as shops, surgeries, schools and other basic conveniences.

Evidence that houses will be built with installation of low carbon technology and increased use of low embodied carbon materials in construction.

The car dependence of new development makes the plan inconsistent with the following paragraphs from the NPPF:

152:
The planning system should support the transition to a low carbon future in a changing climate, taking full account of flood risk and coastal change. It should help to: shape places in ways that contribute to radical reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, minimise vulnerability and improve resilience; encourage the reuse of existing resources, including the conversion of existing buildings; and support renewable and low carbon energy and associated infrastructure.

154:
New development should be planned for in ways that:

b) can help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, such as through its location, orientation and design. Any local requirements for the sustainability of buildings should reflect the Government’s policy for national technical standards.

This is inconsistent with sporadic development in villages that do not have facilities such as shops, surgeries, schools and other basic conveniences accessible by means of low-carbon transport. Indeed the opposite is true - this car dependent form of development will increase emissions.

Evidence is needed to show how emissions will be reduced. Good low carbon public transport services should be provided between villages which have been formed as 'clusters' and share facilities such as shops, surgeries, schools and other basic conveniences.

South Norfolk Green Party are opposed to the whole concept of village clusters because it nullifies the point of settlement hierarchy, which means to concentrate development in locations where it is 'sustainable' i.e. where there are alternatives to the private car for most necessary trips. If you start clustering villages together where you can't actually get between parts of the same cluster without a car, you are not in any way improving the sustainability of those places.

The car dependence of new development makes the plan inconsistent with the following paragraphs from the NPPF:

152:
The planning system should support the transition to a low carbon future in a changing climate, taking full account of flood risk and coastal change. It should help to: shape places in ways that contribute to radical reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, minimise vulnerability and improve resilience; encourage the reuse of existing resources, including the conversion of existing buildings; and support renewable and low carbon energy and associated infrastructure.

154:
New development should be planned for in ways that:

b) can help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, such as through its location, orientation and design. Any local requirements for the sustainability of buildings should reflect the Government’s policy for national technical standards.

This is inconsistent with sporadic development in villages that do not have facilities such as shops, surgeries, schools and other basic conveniences accessible by means of low-carbon transport. Indeed the opposite is true - this car dependent form of development will increase emissions.