Homes deadline: one week to have your say
If you care where homes are going to be built in south Norwich, you’ve got one week to submit your view. Dozens of sites are under consideration. Find out if they’re on your doorstep and have your say on the effect they could have on your corner of Norwich.
Three thousand homes need to be built somewhere in Norwich by 2026. Developers and landowners have put forward possible sites to the city council. Some of these will meet enough of the criteria to make it through to a second round. It’s not just about homes; jobs and leisure facilities are also being planned. And not all of the sites are needed for the council to meet its target.
If there is a site near you that you object to development on, its worth knowing the grounds on which you can put your case. Its not a local referendum, but at a public meeting held at the City Academy last night, it was made clear you can object on specific planning grounds.
Take, for example, land along Bluebell Road, proposed by Bartram Mowers and The Landscape Partnership. The site is earmarked for “mixed use”. If you wanted to object, you could argue it’s currently open countryside, which is of value to the city. You could cite the impact it might have on already congested roads. You could object on grounds that at least part of the proposed site is on a floodplain. All of these reasons will be accepted by planning officers. No decision has been taken on any of the sites yet, and the council wants to hear your views.
Another area outlined for major expansion is the University of East Anglia. In total, the university has put forward 14 sites on campus it wants to develop over the coming years. The Unversity is seen as a major growth area for Norwich, helping the city prosper in the future. At last night’s public meeting, some local people argued that the infrastructure around the UEA can’t cope with such expansion. Residents said Bluebell Road is already at saturation point, especially at the Fiveways roundabout.
The Yare Valley Society, a voluntary group who work to protect the countryside along the River Yare, are concerned about the impact four of the developments could have on the character of the valley. They’re encouraging anyone with concerns to write to the council, stating on their website that: “the development of any one of these sites would be very damaging to the landscape and amenity value of the river in this area.”
Letters were sent to residents who live within 50 metres of a proposed site, informing them how to get involved in the consultation process. But some residents at the public meeting were angry that they hadn’t been informed, because they live a slighty further away. Their point was that any major development doesn’t just effect the people who live opposite. It has a knock-on effect on a far wider area.
Add your view: e-mail Norwich City Council by February 5th 2010.
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