14 April 2019 Planning Statement Land off Marsh Road, Halvergate, Norfolk. NR13 3QB Norfolk Office 01603 516319 Suffolk Office 01284 336348 Essex Office 01245 934 184 Orchard House The Northgate Business Centre, Moulsham Mill, Hall Lane 10 Northgate Street, Parkway, East Tuddenham, Bury St Edmunds, Chelmsford Norfolk, NR20 3LR Suffolk, IP33 1HQ Essex, CM2 7PX Norfolk, NR189RS © Copyright Parker Planning Services Ltd www.parkerplanningservices.co.uk Information Date of Application April 2019 Site Address Land off Marsh Road, Halvergate, Norfolk, NR13 3QB Development Outline residential for up to 7 no. dwellings. Description Local Planning Broadland District Council Authority Applicant(s) Deborah High and Kevin Cossey Author: Phil Hardy (Planner) Reviewed By: Jason Parker (Director) Report Revision: 1 © Copyright Parker Planning Services Ltd www.parkerplanningservices.co.uk Contents Introduction ....................................................................................................................................................... 1 How the Proposal has been arrived at & Community Consultation .................................................................. 2 Development Description .................................................................................................................................. 3 Development Plan Considerations ..................................................................................................................... 9 Conservation Area Appraisal and Important Views ......................................................................................... 14 Material Considerations................................................................................................................................... 18 Assessment of Sustainable Development ........................................................................................................ 25 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................................................ 30 Appendix 1 – Newmans Green Appeal Decision .............................................................................................. 32 © Copyright Parker Planning Services Ltd www.parkerplanningservices.co.uk Planning Statement Land off Marsh Road, Halvergate, Norfolk, NR13 3QB Introduction 1.1. The following Planning Statement has been prepared by Parker Planning Services Ltd on behalf of Deborah High and Kevin Cossey (‘the Applicants’) in relation to an Outline Planning Permission application for ‘Erection of up to 7 no. self-build dwellings’ at land off Marsh Road, Halvergate, Norfolk, NR13. All matters are reserved except for access. 1.2. This Planning Statement should be read in conjunction with the following supporting documents which comprise the planning application: • The formal planning application forms and certificates; • the Location Plan –by Studio 35 Architecture; • the indicative site plan and visual drawings – by Studio 35 Architecture; • this Planning and Design Statement (‘PDS’) by Parker Planning Services; • the Heritage Statement (‘HS), dated April 2019 by Parker Planning Services; and • the Tree Constraints Plan (‘TCP’) and Arboricultural Impact Assessment by A.T. Coombes 1.3. This PDS is structured as follows: • It introduces the application and the contents of the PDS (this Section); • It describes the site and details the development proposal (Section 2); • It describes how the development proposal is a suitable response to the site and its setting, and demonstrates that it can be adequately accessed by prospective users (Design and Access Statement) (Section 3); • It assesses the application against the Development Plan (Section 4); • It assesses the application against relevant material considerations (Section 5); and • It reaches conclusions in relation to the acceptability of the application in the context of the Development Plan and the relevant material considerations (Section 6) 1 | P a g e © Copyright Parker Planning Services Ltd www.parkerplanningservices.co.uk Planning Statement Land off Marsh Road, Halvergate, Norfolk, NR13 3QB How the Proposal has been arrived at & Community Consultation 2.1 The Land owners were contacted by a Consortium of Investors located in the East Midlands as well as a Housing Association. Both of which had made offers of land purchase and land option agreements for the entire land area. The suggestion from each of those parties was that they would be looking to place between 20 to 35 homes on the site and believed that there would be a high likelihood of success either at application or appeal for permission to be granted, given the government desire to provide housing, particularly for ‘infill sites’. 2.2 The land owners contacted Jason Barber of Studio 35 Architecture Ltd and Jason Parker of Parker Planning Services for advice. Following a detailed site visit and review of the site, as well as the constraints of the site and review of similar cases that we have dealt with, our view was that the site is suitable for some form of residential development. Our initial feelings were that a smaller lower density development would be more attractive and appropriate to the village than the development desired by both interested parties. Following our advice, the land owners opted for our approach of a more sympathetic development, rather than to give way to the interested parties. It was very refreshing to meet Local people who favoured going forward with a more low key and sympathetic development, rather than wanting to go for a high density development, particularly given the attractiveness of the revenue they would have generated from going for that option. We are therefore hopeful that the Council accepts our proposal for a low key, low density development. 2.3 Following those discussions, Jason Parker, Director of Parker Planning Services Ltd and Jason Barber, Director of Studio 35 Architecture Ltd attended a meeting with members of Halvergate Parish Council on 15th February 2019. We provided some information regarding providing housing in similar locations to this, as well as government considerations in relation to housing outside of settlement boundaries and the requirements of 5 year housing supply, as well as the considerations of paragraph 11 of the NPPF and Local Planning Policies. Overall this was a very pleasant and informative discussion and we were both very pleased for the input from the Parish Council. Whilst the Parish Council were of the view that they would prefer that the site not be developed at all, they did indicate that it would be important for the properties to have one single point of access in order to have no impacts or requirements to remove the trees to the front of the site on Marsh Road. We also spoke in relation to the provision of self-build and there were concerns regarding how to ensure the properties would not all look unique and that there would be some uniformity between the properties. We discussed the idea of a ‘plot passport’ approach. Other various comments were made such as that the development of the site would affect important views stated within the Conservation Area Appraisal. Although during the site visit and upon inspection of the Conservation Area Appraisal wording during the site visit, it became apparent that the important views stated within the appraisal were not across the site, but were in directions away from the site. 2 | P a g e © Copyright Parker Planning Services Ltd www.parkerplanningservices.co.uk Planning Statement Land off Marsh Road, Halvergate, Norfolk, NR13 3QB Development Description Site and Context 3.1 The Application Site is 0.485 hectares in size and lies north of Marsh Road across the frontage between Squires Road to the west and Chapel Road to the east. It is part of a large arable field which sits on the north side of Marsh Road. It is bounded to the east by Chapel Road and Squires Road to the west. The Weavers Way long-distance footpath follows Squires Road to the junction with Marsh Road and then heads east along the southern boundary of the site. The site is relatively level and falls gently and evenly to the east. The level of the field is noticeably higher than the surrounding roads, up to a meter at the junction of Chapel Road and Marsh Road. 3.2 Along the southern boundary is a well-established mixed native hedge which has a series of relatively young oak trees planted at intervals. Between the hedge and the footpath is a narrow and steeply graded verge which has a mixture of grass and ground elder. Halfway along this boundary is an opening in the hedge providing access to the field. The native hedging continues around the corner on both the east and western boundaries. On the eastern side the hedge extends as far as the former chapel. 3.3 At the Southwest corner is a modern brick bus shelter grouped with a litter bin, dog bin and information board for Weavers Way. 3.4 At the south-eastern corner at the junction with ChapelRoad is a memorial bench. The hedge here is more than 12 feet high. 3.5 On the south side of Marsh Road is a series of recent infill built dwellings. There is no footpath on the side of the road, only a narrow and steeply graded grass verge. The character in this area is generally suburban, not locally distinctive and would not normally merit inclusion within a conservation area designation. 3.6 Directly opposite the laurels on the corner of Chapel Road is Sunnyside which is also