Massive 1,500 home development north of Taverham looks set to go ahead
Council officials have recommended that the huge new estate should be built on farmland on the edge of Thorpe Marriott.
A massive housing development, which will see more than 1,500 homes built along the Marriott’s Way, looks set to go ahead.
Council officials have recommended that the huge new estate should be built on farmland on the edge of Thorpe Marriott.
It means that final permission is expected to be confirmed at a Broadland District Council (BDC) planning meeting on Wednesday.
The proposal is for 1,530 homes to be built on both sides of the long distance footpath, on 193 acres of land between the edge of Thorpe Marriott and the NDR.
The new estate will also include a primary school, a medical and community centre, and shops, takeaways and pubs.
There will also be open, communal space, including allotments, 40 acres of “informal recreational space” and 10 acres of play areas.
The site will be split in two by the Marriott’s Way, the former railway line between Aylsham and Norwich which is now popular with walkers and cyclists.
The application set to be approved this week covers only the broad outlines of the scheme. Details relating to how the estate will look and the exact number of homes will be covered by future submissions from developer M Scott.
The site has been included in the emerging Greater Norwich Local Plan (GNLP), which sets out where 50,000 homes should be built in the city area between now and 2038.
One of the few groups to object to the plans is the CPRE, formerly known as the Council for the Preservation of Rural England.
It said the development would be outside the settlement boundary of the Taverham parish, which would be contrary to council policy, and that building on greenfield sites should be resisted.
Sixteen members of the public also wrote in with objections, with fears including that it would be out of keeping with the area, and increase noise pollution and traffic.
But the council officials argue the plans will not cause any “significant harm” while providing a range of benefits, including housing, schools and a health hub.
They said: “The absence of any significant harm is evidenced by the fact that this outline scheme meets the relevant criterion contained within the emerging GNLP allocation, which officers consider can be afforded significant weight in the decision-making process.”
HUGE GROWTH FOR SUBURB
With such a large number of houses being built the population of Taverham – which includes Thorpe Marriott and the new estate – will increase dramatically.
The scheme is expected to bring in around 3,500 people to the area, which had a population of 14,989 at the last census in 2021.
This will increase the number of people living in Taverham by almost a quarter – 23.3pc – to 18,489.