Village Clusters Housing Allocations Plan - Alternative Sites & Focused Changes (Reg. 18)

Wicklewood Parish Council objects to this proposed allocation:

In the current plan and Reg 18 it states that Hackford and Wymondham Roads benefit from extensive views of the surrounding countryside. This fact has been deliberately removed from the Reg 19 statement as it does not support the site allocations VC WIC1. The landscape has not changed between version 18 and 19, so neither should the description of Wicklewood. It is wrong and misleading to remove accurate descriptions just because they do not fit with the new plans. Previous planning applications in this area have been refused on the grounds of obstructing these views. Here is the full history of the official description of this area:
• 1996 – This plan says, “a particular feature is the large open area of land bounded by development on Church Lane, Wymondham Road and High Street” and “the large central open area and good views from within the village of the surrounding countryside all contribute to the rural character of the village”.
• 2003 – No Wicklewood specific section because they severely restricted development in rural villages in this plan. Wicklewood is mentioned under HOU 6 with a few other villages where development was “i) limited to small scale developments of not more than 10 dwellings; and ii) Singly or cumulatively, the development would be in keeping with the form and character of the village and its setting.
• 2015 (current Local Plan) – This plan says, “Hackford Road and Wymondham Road benefit from extensive views of the surrounding countryside”.
Emerging Local Plan: -
JCS Nov 18 - Five sites were consulted on in Wicklewood in early 2018 and a further consultation for additional site put forward were consulted on ending Dec 18. This states that the Hackford Road site is – “less well related to the settlement pattern, being on the opposite side of the road to the main village” and “the site provides open views across the plateau farmland and subdividing it to provide a small amount of housing would affect the setting of the village”.
Reg. 18 – said “Hackford Road and Wymondham Road benefited from extensive views of the surrounding countryside”.
Reg. 19 (March 23) – removes the above comment about Hackford Road and Wymondham Road benefited from extensive views of the surrounding countryside.
Village Clusters Housing Allocations Plan – Alternative Sites & Focused Changes (Reg. 18) (current consultation ending 05 Feb 2024) – As Reg. 19 above.
It should also be noted that South Norfolk Landscape Character Assessments Character Area: E3 – Hingham - Mattishall Plateau Farmland, which covers this area states. Large, geometric arable fields are the dominant land cover. From the most elevated areas, for example at High Oak, views to churches within the character area (at Wicklewood and Deopham) and outside the character area (at Hackford) are significant.
This site has been rejected at previous Local Plan due to it being “less well related to the settlement pattern, being on the opposite side of the road to the main village” and “the site provides open views across the plateau farmland and subdividing it to provide a small amount of housing would affect the setting of the village”.
There are serious concerns about the flooding potential of this development. There is already flooding in the area around The Green and Primrose Farm. Water flowing from this site would threaten the nearby Wicklewood Mere which is an SSI. The properties along Milestone Lane are not on main sewers and the additional ground water would impact on their septic tanks. We have also recently had confirmation from Anglian Water that the Wicklewood Pumping Station does not have sufficient capacity to get tankers on site quickly enough to prevent overspill into the river if the pumps fail. Although a generator has recently been installed, this only deals with power failure and would not address any mechanical failure.

Wicklewood currently has a tax base of just 407 properties. To add another 40 or 52 properties is a development out of proportion with the size of the village. There are concerns about the additional traffic movements that will be generated on narrow country lanes where there are few pavements. In the description it states that there is a good range of facilities including a primary school, village hall, recreation field and pub. The work 'including' would imply that there are more facilities, however there are not. There is no shop, Post Office, surgery or any other facilities to support this additional housing. The local school generally runs at virtually full capacity and currently has very few spaces which will not be sufficient to take the extra primary school children anticipated for this size development which could increase the village population by almost 13% and schools in neighbouring Wymondham are also full. There is also no availability for doctor, dentist or vets in the area, all of the current practices in Wymondham are at full capacity