Update June 2023
With Breckland Council's initial Issues & Options consultation now closed, we await the results. There has been overwhelming opposition to the concept of a new settlement, particularly one in the North Elmham/Billingford/Bintree area. Huge thanks go to everyone who has answered the call to submit responses. North Elmham Parish Council has requested a further round of consultation on Breckland's emerging Local Plan, so that everyone has an opportunity to comment on specific sites which have been put forward as potential sites for development. This would be before the currently planned next consultation on the sites which Breckland prefers at that point. In the meantime, we all need to remain vigilant - a role which has been taken on with great energy and effectiveness by John Hoskins, co-ordinator of CANT (Campaign Against the New Town.)
North Elmham Parish Council
CAMPAIGN AGAINST the NEW TOWN (CANT) between Bintree, Billingford and North Elmham
Breckland Council are updating their planning policy. The first step is a public consultation to get the community’s views on the housing that the district needs over the next 20 years.
A key question in their document is: “Should there be a new settlement Garden Town/Village within Breckland?
The only ‘new settlement’ that is being considered, in the short term, is a site for 5,000 houses in a remote area of fertile agricultural land between Bintree, Billingford and North Elmham. Should this go ahead the very nature of mid Norfolk, and what attracts people to it, would change forever. It would impact a wide area due to the immense infrastructure changes required, along with decades of construction and associated traffic. Those villages, and maybe others, would simply cease to exist as they were absorbed into this development. The site lies adjacent to the highly valued and protected River Wensum and sits above a large chalk aquifer, so the environmental impacts for Norfolk could be considerable and irreversible, when food security, pollution issues and water resources are all major concerns at a time of uncertainty and climate change.
We need to focus the Council’s attention on developing affordable homes for local people, close to existing employment, public transport and facilities. Development should support our towns and villages, not use land vital for food production.
PLEASE HELP! Assuming it won’t happen is not enough.
Go online to: https://www.breckland.gov.uk/article/19942/Local-Plan-Full-Update and go to the ‘Issues & Options Response form’.
All you need to do is fill in your details on page 2 (which will not be used or published) and simply say NO to Question 13 on page 8. If you want to fill in more answers, that’s great, but our key concern is simply to reject the idea of the new town.
Alternatively, you can simply copy and paste the text below into a new email and return it to this address – campaignagainstnewtown@gmail.com and feel free to add as much extra text as you would like.
To Breckland Council
"Issues and Options" Consultation 2023
In response to Q.13: Should there be a new settlement Garden Town/Village developed within Breckland?
My answer is:
My name:
My address:
My e-mail:
If not a Breckland resident, my interest in this issue is:
If you have received a paper version of this form through your letter box it can also be returned to the Elmham Tea Post who have a box to collect responses and you can also pick up a form there to complete (during Post Office opening hours).
Please pass this on to all your friends, relations and contacts. Every individual can send a response, whoever they are, wherever they live.
Follow CANT on Instagram @campaignagainstnewtown – and ‘like’ and comment on as many pictures as you can, we need the message to be loud and clear.
CANT is fully endorsed by North Elmham Parish Council