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

Object

Representation ID: 4016

Received: 03/10/2024

Respondent: Bawburgh Parish Council

Agent: Collins & Coward Limited

Legally compliant? Yes

Sound? No

Duty to co-operate? Yes

Refer to previous representations submitted by Parish Council.

NPPF December 2023 has removed need for housing targets, therefore 1,200 homes is no longer required. This is now 'Advisory starting point' based on circumstances, therefore no basis for total number or buffer and could lead to oversupply.

Sites capacity should be based on planning factors rather than arbitrary density. No full assessment has been undertaken.

Bawburgh Parish Council concluded that the site should not accommodate more than 15 units – resolution of the Council on 8 August 2024.

The Council has not conducted any further site assessment to support an increase in site size of 41%. The original site assessment was flawed and remains so. No sustainability assessment has been undertaken on the enlarged site. No agricultural land quality assessment has been undertaken to justify the loss of 1.9 hectares of Grade 3A agricultural land. The NPPF at footnote 62 confirms that lesser quality land should be used in preference to Best and Most Versatile agricultural land.

It is clear the proposed site does not meet any of the policies and objectives of the NPPF, which is acknowledged by the Council. Therefore, in the absence of a draft allocation, a residential development of this site would never be permitted.

Object

Representation ID: 4017

Received: 03/10/2024

Respondent: Bawburgh Parish Council

Agent: Collins & Coward Limited

Legally compliant? Yes

Sound? No

Duty to co-operate? Yes

At paragraph 2.3, the Council acknowledges that Bawburgh does not have a range of facilities and is not part of a village cluster. It is a village that stands in isolation from other villages in the district. It also accepts there is a severely limited bus service with just one bus to Wymondham and back three times per week (Monday, Wednesday, and Friday), when it does run. No evidence has been provided of an “on-demand service” for the village as claimed by the District Council.

Object

Representation ID: 4018

Received: 03/10/2024

Respondent: Bawburgh Parish Council

Agent: Collins & Coward Limited

Legally compliant? Yes

Sound? No

Duty to co-operate? Yes

At paragraph 2.5 there is a suggestion that a footpath link could be provided between the site and the primary school with a new rear entrance. Such an access is unlikely to be supported by the police on health & safety grounds given its location and remoteness. A new footpath would need to be lit during winter to ensure safety of pupils. There is no indication of how such a footpath would be maintained,
with such a proposal most likely to be unacceptable to the residents’ management company for the site. Therefore, it would require either the landowner or highway authority to maintain – there does not seem to be evidence of any such consultation or commitment to such a path.

Object

Representation ID: 4019

Received: 03/10/2024

Respondent: Bawburgh Parish Council

Agent: Collins & Coward Limited

Legally compliant? Yes

Sound? No

Duty to co-operate? Yes

At paragraph 2.11, the site is proposed to be increased from 1.4 hectares to 1.97 hectares (an increase of 41% to reflect a lower density in the village). The most recent development adjacent to the Village Hall was developed at 9 units per hectare and the new site is now promoted at 18 units per hectare – twice that previously approved. A development of 15 units could be achieved in the original 1.4 hectares at the previously approved density.