Landscape Susceptibility in relation to Energy Generation, Storage and Transmission - SPD

Object

Representation ID: 4328

Received: 12/08/2025

Respondent: Yare Valley Society

Part 1
The Yare Valley Society has the following comments on the proposed SPD as it relates to LCA F1: Yare Valley Urban Fringe.
The SPD document recognises that LCA F1 is only part of a landscape type that extends into Norwich. It also recognises it is an LCA distinctly different from any other in South Norfolk (Appendix 3 page 76). This is because F1 forms only part of the Norwich urban fringe landscape type, and this, together with its urban fringe character, means an assessment of its landscape susceptibility is more complex than for the other LCAs. The complexity arises because there are additional considerations to be explored before a valid susceptibility assessment can be made.
Some of the additional considerations are listed below. The need for their exploration in the SPD justifies a special status for F1: a status that fully recognises F1 is only part of a large and major river valley corridor, and that changes in F1 are likely to impact on the corridor as a whole. Failure to consider the impact on the corridor as a whole will cast doubt on the validity of the susceptibility assessment of F1.
To best provide a full and proper assessment for F1, it should be given a separate section in the main document “Landscape Susceptibility in relation to Energy Generation, Storage and Transmission – SPD”. In much the same way has been done for item 7 “Policy DM 4.6: Landscape Setting of Norwich”. It should form a separate item 8.
Additional considerations that justify a special status to F1 in the SPD are:
•The corridor passes through densely populated residential areas in County and City. These areas are currently increasing rapidly in size (e.g. at Cringleford). The corridor is readily accessible by foot for a growing number of local residents. This growth is making increasing demands for green space for informal recreation to sustain the population’s wellbeing.
•The corridor has been earmarked as a linear country park, the Yare Valley Parkway. See the “Southern Norwich Yare Valley Parkway” initiative in the Greater Norwich Growth Board’s Green Infrastructure Strategy for Greater Norwich. This would be major linear park between a potential new country park at Bawburgh and Colney Lakes to the west of Norwich, and Whitlingham Country Park to the east.
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Part of the corridor contains the Yare Valley Walk, highly valued for the access it gives to much seemingly remote and tranquil green space. An objective of the Parkway is to extend the Yare Valley Walk along the whole length of the corridor lying in the urban fringe.
•The corridor is recognised as a Strategic Green Infrastructure Corridor. It forms a key part of the local ecological network. It provides habitat for, and facilitates migration of, flora and fauna, and so helps to sustain biodiversity and enable adaption to climate change. The corridor links five Local Nature Reserves, and a County Wildlife Site site. The vegetation in the corridor together with new wildflower meadows in the valley (being managed largely with the help of volunteers) help counter the current decline in pollinating insects.
•The corridor helps combat climate change. Its vegetation and particularly its marshes act as a carbon sink by storing greenhouse gases.
•The corridor helps mitigate climate change and pollution. Firstly, its woodland, scrubland and meadows slow the rate of water run-off, reducing flooding and delaying pollutants entering the “chalk stream” river. Secondly, its marshes store large quantities of water in times of flood, so reducing damage from flooding downstream.
•The corridor contains significant structures that need to have their natural setting safeguarded. Some of these structures are historic, many have listed status, and some are scheduled monuments. They include: at UEA the Lasdun Wall, the Norfolk and Suffolk Terrace, and the Ziggurat buildings all Grade II or II* listed; the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts Grade II* listed; Cringleford Bridge Grade II* listed and a scheduled monument; Keswick Mill and Mill House Grade II listed; the Mill House and Mill House Cottage at Trowse Millgate Grade II listed; and Arminghall Henge is a scheduled monument.
LCA F1 differs in major ways from other LCAs. A sound assessment of susceptibility is crucial if its contribution to the wellbeing of many County and City residents, and to the wellbeing of the wildlife in the urban fringe, is to be safeguarded. To ensure the validity of the susceptibility study, LCA F1 should be given special status and considered separately as item 8 in the main SPD documentation.