The first seven new sites for housing gypsies and travellers in areas surrounding Norwich have been revealed.
A series of towns and villages have been selected following a public consultation.
The sites are required before the Greater Norwich Local Plan (GNLP) can be approved by the government’s Planning Inspectorate. The GNLP is a blueprint for where 50,000 new homes could be built in Norwich, South Norfolk and Broadland council areas by 2038.
Travellers' sites are broken up into pitches for each family, with at least 53 spaces needed.
GNLP officials have identified 35 initial pitches which can be developed by 2027. These will be a mixture of new and expanded sites.
The expanded sites will be:
- Shortthorn Road, Stratton Strawless (four pitches)
- Romany Meadow, The Turnpike, Carleton Rode (six pitches)
- Upgate Street, Carleton Rode (four pitches)
- The Oaks, Reepham Road, Foulsham (five pitches)
The new sites will be:
- Strayground Lane, Wymondham (12 pitches)
- Buxton Road, Eastgate, Cawston (four pitches)
Then 10 pitches are set for the Ketteringham Depot, which is owned by South Norfolk Council (SNC), for development between 2028 to 2032.
Planning officials expect a further 12 windfall pitches will come forward to meet unmet needs by the end of the GNLP period in 2038.
Ten sites went to consultation but three were rejected.
New sites have already been identified in Foulsham, Guestwick Green and Hevingham and recently went out to fresh consultation.
Addressing SNC cabinet colleagues, John Fuller, the leader of the authority, said the scheme has been a “long time in gestation”.
He said earlier plans would have seen South Norfolk take around 90pc of the new pitches, which he branded an “unnecessary concentration”, and a range of smaller sites would be more effective at allowing families to stay closer to each other.
The cabinet agreed to submit the sites to inspectors, which will have to approve the scheme.
Which sites have been removed from consideration?
Three sites were removed from consideration for inclusion in the GNLP.
These were at North Burlingham junction; Hockering Lane, Bawburgh and Holt Road, Horsford.
Documents presented to SNC’s cabinet show that two of the proposed sites received significant opposition from locals.
North Burlingham junction drew almost 300 objections plus a petition signed by 219 people and Bawburgh over 130 objections.
National Highways, the government agency responsible for operating major roads in England, also said North Burlingham would not be available because it was now planning to use the site for environmental mitigation for the A47 dualling project.
Bawburgh and Horsford were both removed from consideration by the landowners.
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