To receive questions and statements from the public, if any.
Minutes:
Mr G Hermer attended the meeting, in place of Cllr J Copplestone and asked the following question:
‘The planned development of North Walsham West indicates the population will increase to 18,000, making it by far the largest town in North Norfolk with the poorest road connection to the economic & cultural capital, Norwich, via the B1150.
Living in a rural county there is a reliance on cars & HGV’s for our transport requirements, in Coltishall we already experience unacceptable levels of heavy traffic, with the road operating at capacity during peak times.
So far, no traffic mitigation measures have been suggested to protect public safety. The road is already dangerous with HGV’s mounting pavements daily, and no solution has been suggested to improve the width restraint at the River Bure Bridge, nor to improve safety at existing junctions as traffic levels increase further.
Coltishall B1150 Group has been examining crash map data and alternative routes for HGV’s, ultimately, we need a relief road to avoid the narrow river bridge and remove dangerous levels of traffic from our village as North Walsham expands in population.
Do you agree that the traffic situation in Coltishall is already dangerous, and will your Cabinet agree to make the road safer in order to protect the public, by committing sufficient funding at the planning stage to facilitate this?’
Cllr A Brown, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Chairman of the Planning Policy & Built Heritage Working Party thanked Mr Hermer for his question. He said that Norfolk County Council was the authority responsible for highways and as far as he was aware, they had not declared that the highway network was unsafe in Coltishall. He said that it was acknowledged that there were concerns about volumes of traffic and the narrowness of the road in the village. He added that the outcome of a traffic impact assessment was still awaited and this would advise whether the impact of the North Walsham West development could be mitigated. Cllr Brown went onto say that the development in North Walsham was governed by NNDC’s planning policies but also by the Government’s National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). The NPPF stipulated that the impact caused by a development had to be severe. However, if the development had mitigation measures included then this would be sufficient in planning terms. The Council’s Local Plan had measures that would provide some mitigation but they could only go so far and the Highways Authority would need to be involved too. Cllr Brown said that it was anticipated that the results of the TIA would be ready by late November and the Council planned to visit Coltishall and hold a public meeting in early December so that the full facts could be shared with everyone. There would then be a consultation with local residents on the likely impact of the development on Coltishall.
Mr Hermer replied that he wanted confirmation regarding when the TIA would be available to the public. Cllr Brown confirmed that the Council was planning to meet with Broadland District Council on 27th November and then the public in early December.