1,700 homes plan to include new school, green space and road upgrade
Dragonfly Lane in Cringleford. - Credit: Geographer
The large developments which will double the population of a Norfolk village include significant new infrastructure, local council members have said.
Some residents in Cringleford voiced their concerns over the lack of amenities in the area, in the face of at least 1,700 new homes which will change the village forever.
Among the main concerns were the fact it has only one 420-place school which is oversubscribed, and traffic issues caused by its proximity to the A47 and A11 trunk roads, as well as the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital.
The current primary school in Cringleford, near Norwich, expanded a few years ago, but it is already 'oversubscribed'. - Credit: Denise Bradley
Conservative South Norfolk councillors William Kemp and Daniel Elmer said some upgrades had been provided, with more on the way.
In a joint statement, they said: "The proposed new developments in Cringleford include significant new infrastructure as part of the development proposals.
"A new primary school, significant amounts of green and recreation space, and a regionally important upgrade to the Thickthorn junction will all support the new housing.
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"A new bus interchange is already enhancing community transport, and a large investment by South Norfolk Council at the Norwich Research Park which will deliver high quality jobs for local residents."
An aerial view of the new bus interchange at Round House Way in Cringleford. - Credit: Transport For Norwich
A site for a new primary school has been secured through a Section 106 agreement with developers, and construction is pencilled in to begin in 2022/23, according to Norfolk County Council's 2020 Schools' Local Growth and Investment Plan.
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And both the county and district councils are working with Openreach to accelerate broadband upgrades for the parts of the village which do not yet have high-speed connectivity.
With large scale developments such as the ones in Cringleford, infrastructure is usually a condition of planning and they are often put in place at certain trigger points.
Permission for some, like the 650-home Cringleford Heights development by Barratt and David Wilson Homes, were granted on appeal by central government after being initially turned down by SNDC, meaning phasing was determined by an inspector rather than the council.
Those authorities will work with developers going forward to deliver infrastructure for Cringleford in the future, though home building will continue in the village for several years to come.
