Issues & Options: Report of Consultation Joint Core Strategy for Broadland, Norwich and South Norfolk Public Consultation, 19 November 2007 – 8 February 2008 Contents Executive Summary 1 1. Introduction 5 2. Consultation methods used 6 3. Issues & Options Full Report 9 Results Analysis 4. Analysis of Responses by Policy Theme 11 Policies for Places 5. Analysis of Responses by Policy Theme 24 Area-Wide Policies 6. Implementation and Monitoring 34 Responses to Consultation Appendices Appendix 1: Joint Core Strategy Issues Workshops 2007 36 Appendix 2: Joint Core Strategy ‘Issues & Options’ 38 stakeholder meetings and presentations Appendix 3: Exhibition attendance figures 40 Appendix 4: ‘Have Your Say’ Youth Conference 7 February 2008 44 ‘Saying it Better’ workshop report Appendix 5: Young peoples’ questionnaire 51 Appendix 6: Results Analysis of Issues & Options Summary Leaflet 53 Monitoring information & representativeness of respondents Appendix 7: Analysis of Responses on Full Questionnaire 68 Appendix 8: Local Survey of Long Stratton Residents 97 Executive summary 1 Executive summary Sustainable Development ‘secondary rural settlements’ – notably public transport access to work, a village hall, a Respondents gave broad support to the convenience store and a primary school. statements of Vision and Objectives in the report. Comments made it clear that, in There was general agreement that development general, respondents considered these to outside the hierarchy of settlements should be of a quality of life that they would want. be strictly controlled. However, some people wanted to see an exception to allow for Respondents expressed concern about the development to support settlements with acceptance of housing growth, the need to focus a limited range of existing services. on maintaining and enhancing the sustainability of small rural settlements and the need for the Respondents supported the need to give vision to be more creative and locally distinctive. priority to brownfield site development, so far as possible. There was also some concern There was some priority given to the strategic about the impact of ‘urban sprawl’ and loss of principles of “infrastructure and service character on some areas surrounding Norwich. planning and delivery” and “environmental impact” as criteria for judging where and There was general agreement that public when growth is acceptable. transport and where feasible walking and cycling links need to be improved to give Respondents gave strong support to measures better access between rural areas and that ensure that new development is sustainable Key Service Centres, Market Towns etc. in terms of its energy efficiency and in relation to using renewable sources of energy. A suggested target of 20% of energy requirements was Locations for major growth and also supported. change in the NPA While a significant minority place equal Spatial Hierarchy importance on wide ranging criteria when a There was broad support for the definition of preference is expressed the 3 most important the spatial hierarchy as proposed in the Issues factors for locating growth are: easy access and Options document both in terms of the to facilities by walking, cycling and public broad hierarchy as a whole, and in relation transport; the ability of new and existing to the definition of Market Towns and Key infrastructure and transport to support growth; Service Centres in the settlement hierarchy. and minimising the impact on the environment. Respondents identified a number of facilities Respondents supported the option of large that can be used to define the next level of scale urban extensions and a possible new Joint Core Strategy for Broadland, Norwich and South Norfolk • Issues and Options: Report of Consultation 2 Executive summary settlement by a small margin (34% to 31%) over Respondents supported focused employment a more dispersed pattern of growth. An option growth in the city centre, although the majority of an even larger scale of concentration in one accepted that some office jobs would need to new town south of Norwich was suggested in a be created outside this main focus. There was limited number of responses. also strong support for promoting brownfield development generally and providing for a mix Technical consultees and infrastructure of uses especially in the city centre. providers tend to favour concentration in larger scale developments. The development In several respects respondents recognised industry tends to support a combination across that new development needs to be appropriate all three options with elements of large scale, to the history and heritage of the city centre medium scale and smaller scale growth. and at appropriate densities. Different locations for development were There was considerable support for retail favoured in responses to the Long and growth to be concentrated in the existing retail Short Questionnaires although there is area and majority support for this to include the significant overlap between them. In the Short Anglia Square/Magdalen Street area, but little Questionnaire responses (taking account of all support for wider expansion of the retail area. expressed preferences) a majority were in favour of the South-west, South-east, Wymondham For leisure development respondents and North-east/East sectors. In the Long supported a strategy that would provide a Questionnaire responses the most favoured wider range of facilities for all age groups. individual locations were the North-east, South- There was significant concern about traffic west, and Wymondham and an overall strategy congestion and most respondents accepted for large scale growth to be focussed on these the need to improve public transport, cycling three locations, either solely or in combination and walking facilities, although respondents with one or more additional locations, received also wanted to maintain car access. majority support (53%). Whilst the Long Questionnaire gave results Suburbs and Fringe in favour of growth to provide a Long Stratton Respondents agreed with the overall approach bypass, the local survey (undertaken by South to development within Norwich and the urban Norfolk District Council) indicated that local area including the sequence of preferred sites people are evenly divided for and against such from the city centre to areas on the edge of a solution. Only a minority of local people the urban area where accessibility is poor. would support a development in excess of 1,500 dwellings. In relation to skills and training respondents supported a range of initiatives outlined in City Centre the document. Respondents gave broad support to the The responses generally accepted the need for proposed hierarchy of centres, which recognises more bus priority measures in the urban area, the city centre as the strategic centre for growth although the option selected suggested that and the economic driver for the sub-regional this could be done without loss of capacity for economy. The need for a range of city centre the private car. service functions beyond retailing was also Respondents supported the need to focus recognised, including facilities for education area-wide regeneration on specific areas and training, health and young people. where deprivation would be addressed. These included a number of deprived city areas. Joint Core Strategy for Broadland, Norwich and South Norfolk • Issues and Options: Report of Consultation Executive summary 3 Definition of Norwich Policy Area that all sectors of the economy would have opportunities to expand. The majority of respondents support the current boundary of the NPA. The responses across several questions showed strong support for more ‘home working’ and for A small number suggested either enlarging mixed use solutions to employment growth. This or shrinking the boundary, to the south included the idea of live/work units and a more or south-west. flexible approach to issues relating to working at home. Town Centre Hierarchy Respondents supported a range of measures to Respondents gave overwhelming endorsement promote and encourage training and learning to the hierarchy of centres as defined in the opportunities related to the needs of business. Issues and Options document. Respondents also generally supported There were a few suggested changes with measures to assist small business growth some additional settlements suggested for and especially solutions related to residential inclusion, but no overriding support for any areas and mixed uses. particular one of these. Strategic Access and Transportation Housing Transport improvements are given a high Respondents expressed concerns that priority in the response for improving the local smaller settlements should be allowed environment and are among the highest sufficient growth to sustain their services criteria for selecting growth locations. and sense of community. Respondents favoured strategies to encourage On the other hand some people opposed the walking, cycling and public transport use in overall level of growth in housing numbers both the urban and rural areas and market being proposed. towns, while recognising that there are areas Respondents supported measures to extend where the private car is the only available and provision of affordable housing by reducing practical means of transport. threshold levels at which the policy is triggered To reduce the need to travel, the most popular and by widening the scope for private sector solutions included co-location of homes, projects