To consider any questions or statements received from members of the public.
Mr Musson has requested to speak.
Minutes:
There were two members of the public in attendance; Mr B Musson and Cllr F Whymark. Both wished to ask a question relating the impact of the North Walsham West development on traffic flow in Coltishall. The Chairman thanked them for attending and invited Cllr Whymark to speak first.
Cllr Whymark began by saying that as shown on the photographs of the B1150 there is already a safety issue with the current volumes of traffic in Coltishall. The incidence of HGVs and other traffic mounting the kerb and endangering local people was brought to his attention almost every week. Children and their parents trying to cross the B1150 at Ling Way on their way to school often find the road was almost impossible to cross safely. This would only get worse if the Local Plan was approved and North Walsham gained an additional 1800 homes. He asked whether the Leader and Members for North Walsham would commit to work with him and the B1150 Special Interest Group, to improve safety on the B1150, particularly through Coltishall and Horstead. Cllr A Brown, Portfolio Holder for Planning thanked him for his question and said that similar questions had been received before. He said that there was a statutory process to follow and a programme of engagement with Broadland District Council had already been agreed and a stakeholder meeting on 27th November in conjunction with Broadland DC. He then explained that a traffic impact assessment (TIA) had been undertaken and the results sent to Broadland DC in advance of the meeting on 27th. There would then be a public consultation event on the TIA on 8th December. Details would be published in the parish magazine. He confirmed that the Council would of course engage with the BB1150 Special Interest Group but not exclusively as there was a requirement to consult and engage widely. Cllr Brown then said he would usually expect these kinds of objections to be received when the planning application came forward to Development Committee for consideration. Before then the Government Inspector must be satisfied that the Council’s Local Plan was sound, legal and deliverable. That process was due to start on 22 January 2024. He concluded by saying that the impact of the proposed development on traffic levels must be determined and the impact must be severe for it to reach the required threshold.
The Chairman asked Cllr Whymark if he had a supplementary question. Cllr Whymark said that he understood the Local Plan process, however, the North Walsham extension was a significant part of the plan and local residents and their representatives were just trying to anticipate some of the issues that may arise from this as it was likely to go ahead. He said that he had seen the TIA and it indicated a 25% increase in traffic which, in his view, was significant. He concluded by saying that when planning proposals were presented to members, that they considered all mechanisms possible to mitigate the impact of the development and ensure safety measures in place. Cllr Brown said that the Council would focus on the extent of the additional impact and how that could be mitigated by the measures set out in the TIA report. He assured Cllr Whymark that the Council wanted to ensure that the best mitigation measures were delivered for the residents of Coltishall.
The Chairman invited Mr Musson to speak.
Mr Musson said that safety was his main concern. It was bad now and was likely to get much worse if the North Walsham West development went ahead. He referred members to the photographs on the screen and drew their attention to the lorries that mounted the pavement to pass oncoming traffic. He said this was a common occurrence and already putting pedestrians in danger on a daily basis. He concluded by asking how NNDC would ensure that mitigation measures would make residents feel safer. The Chairman replied that the issues that were occurring now were the responsibility of Broadland District Council rather than NNDC. He suggested that Broadland DC could work in conjunction with Norfolk County Council Highways Department to put measures in place, irrespective of the North Walsham development, to alleviate the traffic issues that Coltishall was facing.
The Chairman invited Mr Musson to respond. He said that he understood that there was a ‘duty to cooperate’ across neighbouring councils when large development plans were proposed. In his experience, he said that there had been very little co-operation to date and the delay in sharing the results of the TIA reflected this.
The Chairman thanked both speakers for coming.