'A lot to take on' - Villagers react to 180-home and country park plan
Villagers have raised concerns over plans for 180 homes north of Caistor Lane - Credit: Danielle Booden/Ben Hardy
Villagers have questioned whether plans for 180 new homes on the outskirts of Norwich will cause more trouble than it is worth.
Glavenhill has submitted development plans covering 91 acres of land north of Caistor Lane which would almost double the size of the village if approved.
As well as new homes, the plans have set out a 60-acre country park, 420-place primary school, village hall and play facilities, including an FA standard football pitch.
The land behind Caistor Lane in Caistor St Edmund where a new devlopment has been proposed. - Credit: Danielle Booden
The proposals were first put to villagers at a Caistor St Edmund and Bixley Parish Council meeting in November, where the potential demolition of Arminghall Village Hall to make way for a chalet bungalow was also a hot topic of discussion.
And now the plans have been submitted in an outline 'screening option' to South Norfolk Council - but concerns continue to be voiced by locals.
Parish councillor Anne Barnes said: "There are 300 homes in the whole parish so 180 houses is a lot to take on in a small village.
"There are not many facilities in the village at all to support such a large development. I would say 10 to 12 would be fine, but not this."
Parish councillor Anne Barnes, who is a member of the Caistor St Edmund and Bixley planning committee - Credit: Ben Hardy
Jeanette Utting, parish council chairwoman, added: "The scale of the proposal and the impact on the highway are the biggest concerns.
"It is by far the biggest development ever put before the village. My road only has eight houses in it so this is on another level."
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A 75-year-old villager, who did not wish to be named, questioned why a country park was needed when High Ash Farm is already located in Caistor Lane.
Lanpro, which submitted the request on behalf of Glavenhill, said the site was promoted as "a highly sustainable mixed-use development" in the local plan.
The land behind Caistor Lane in Caistor St Edmund where a new devlopment has been proposed. - Credit: Danielle Booden
Ben Burgess, speaking on behalf of Lanpro, said: "We are looking to deliver housing and the appropriate infrastructure with it - that's the primary school, which there is a proven need for in the area, but also the country park.
"There is a district-wide shortfall for green infrastructure and it will offer a real benefit to the wider Greater Norwich area."
