The Salle Estate presented its revised proposals for housing development in Reepham at an extraordinary meeting of the Town Council last night – just four days before the deadline of the latest Preferred Options – Alternative Sites consultation, which closes on Monday 25 November.
The plans are for three smaller sites on and around the large Reepham 1 site to the north of the town on Cawston Road, which was originally earmarked for 200 new houses. The entire presentation can be viewed HERE
In May, Salle presented its initial plans for up to 100 houses on the whole 8.77-hectare site. However, this was not chosen as one of Broadland District Council’s “preferred options” for building 100-200 new houses in Reepham by 2026, principally because of its distance from the town centre and the schools.
The three fields now put forward on behalf of Salle Estate by planning consultant Helen Adcock of CODE Development Planners and Chris Parsons of Swaffham-based Parsons + Whittley Architects are:
- “Salad Field” – 2.6 hectares, up to 70 houses at 27 dwellings/hectare;
- “Bircham’s” – 1.96 hectares, 45 houses at 23 dwellings/hectare;
- “Fairway” – 2.91 hectares, 75 houses at 26 dwellings/hectare.
The first two areas form part of the original Reepham 1 site, while the third, Fairway, is a new site on Cawston Road that has not been previously considered.
The proposed entrance to the Bircham’s site is on Wood Dalling Road and the adjoining ancient hedged path would be retained.
Plans for a reed bed sewage treatment system have now been scrapped, although a commitment to high-quality sustainable construction and low-energy housing remains. In addition, green areas are planned for the storage and disposal of surface water runoff.
Ms Adcock stressed that the proposal is for either one or two sites to be developed, which could mean up to 145 new houses being built, with the housing densities now in line with Broadland’s requirements.
When asked by residents about what social benefits the proposal would bring to the town, the consultants suggested a new pavilion could be built for the Salle cricket ground. However, concerns remain about increased Norwich-bound traffic on Orchard Lane and the effect of edge-of-town developments on the local economy.
The Town Council said it would need more time to consider these proposals.
It is unclear what Broadland will do with this information and whether yet another public consultation will be held.
Reviewing the current sites being considered under Broadland’s site allocations consultations for Reepham, Ms Adcock pointed out that all of these are situated to the south of the town centre, thereby sending most of any additional traffic through the Market Place.
“We took note of what people said at the earlier public consultation, which was that the initial site offered was too big,” she commented. “By offering one or two smaller sites out of the three now proposed, we are presenting another choice. Technically, all these sites work individually: smaller parcels of land offer more options."
Mr Parsons added: “Our clients are not promoting the whole, i.e. all three sites, but rather offering a selection of sites for comment.” He urged people that support in principle any one or a combination of the sites, to submit their views through Broadland District Council’s latest public consultation, which closes at 5 pm on Monday 25 November. Comments can be made on Broadland’s Consultation Portal.