406 home development approved for Norwich outskirts despite concerns
Cringleford Parish Council say the development shouldn't go ahead without a new link road being built nearby
A 406-home development on the Norwich outskirts has been approved despite warnings that the neighbourhood risks becoming a “ghetto”.
South Norfolk Council backed the final phase of Cringleford Heights – a 1,056-home estate beside the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital and the A47.
The first phase, a 650 home development initially outlined in 2013, is nearing completion and takes up a significant section of the northern part of the plot.
However, the newly-approved second phase, which runs below phase one and stretches towards the fringes of the A47, has attracted concern from the adjacent Norfolk and Norwich Hospital, the ambulance service and Cringleford Parish Council over the transport concerns and the strain on local infrastructure.
Parish councillors said the second phase must not go ahead without a new link road between Woolhouse Way and Sorrel Way, warning that those living in the second phase would face longer car journeys and travel delays.
Trevor Wang, chairman of the parish council, told members: “If the road is not put in place the southern end of phase two is going to become a ghetto, with residents having to drive 2km just to reach their homes from the A11.”
While the council did not object in principle to the plans, Mr Wang said the omission of a link road breached regional and neighbourhood transport policies and would leave families more dependent on cars, with poorer access to shops, schools and services.
Developers insisted the layout was designed so the road could be built and said the scheme was “acceptable without it”, adding that it would deliver “much-needed homes, biodiversity enhancement and community benefits”.
Planning officers acknowledged there could be no binding guarantee on delivery of the road, but said “mechanisms” exist for the county council to step in if needed.
These concerns added to wider congestions fears stemming from the impact the new homes will have on Colney Lane – a key ambulance route.
Both the NHS trust and the East of England Ambulance Service argued that as many as 766 new residents could place pressure on already stretched services – and called for six-figure grants to cater for this challenge.
Council officers rejected calls for NHS funding, saying Section 106 payments could not be used to support wider operational challenges.
The scheme was approved unanimously, with numerous conditions imposed relating to affordable housing, nutrient neutrality mitigation, highways and flood measures, school land safeguards and long-term management of open space and biodiversity.
The development has been discussed as Cringleford’s last major development, as once completed, the project will fulfil the village’s housing quota under the local plan.