6. SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STATEMENT NORTH SPROWSTON AND OLD CATTON

OUTLINE PLANNING APPLICATION

OCTOBER 2012

1. INTRODUCTION North Sprowston and Old Catton (NS&OC) will give rise to a thriving, cohesive community only if well supported by the provision of places to work, shop, socialise and commune and equipped with essential, highly accessible public services. As such, the proposals incorporate provision for employment, retail and service, community infrastructure and leisure development, making for a genuinely mixed use environment that functions and feels like a traditional town. It is anticipated that these facilities will give rise to around 1,000 jobs on site, of which the majority would be in employment in a range of tradable sectors connected to the wider Norfolk economy and beyond, with others in roles and services which arise directly from the development itself – such as in teaching, health and social care, maintenance, hospitality and retail.

This statement describes Beyond Green’s outline proposals with regard to the mix of non-residential uses and how, if approved, Beyond Green will work with willing partners to promote active social and economic development as the scheme is implemented. In addition to understanding and responding to relevant evidential and policy drivers, the proposals respond to principles for social and economic development established at an early stage in the project:

• creating a genuinely mixed-use environment in which everyday facilities – including public services, shops and workplaces – are readily accessible without the need to travel;

• fostering face-to-face contact among residents and users of the development through the layout and design of the scheme, particularly the distribution of uses and design of public realm;

• supporting a strong and diversified Greater Norwich economy that provides meaningful work for people of different types and levels of skill;

• encouraging growth in high value-added sectors with a sustainable future – such as knowledge-intensive services, green technologies and low-impact tourism – by creating an environment conducive to their attraction and nurture;

• making it easier for new kinds of enterprise and new patterns of work to emerge by providing generously for home-working and micro-business within the development; and

• ensuring that the 15-20 year process of development itself stimulates local economic gain by creating demand for local products, services and skills – to provide an investment and jobs dividend from growth.

Underlying these principles is the recognition that the role of place-making in social and economic development is limited insofar as its essential function is to create space, literally and figuratively, within which the interaction of people generates economic output and social capital; but that the form of development exercises a profound influence on the types of economic and social relations that are allowed to emerge. In most places in Britain in the last 50 years, planned growth has taken the form of housing estates and business and retail parks connected by fast, capacious roads: this tends to be conducive to growth in cost-competitive economic sectors such as distribution and warehousing, and goes with the grain of what are typically assumed to be people’s revealed preferences for mobility-oriented lifestyles, whilst screening out alternatives and, arguably, militating against the development of strong social connections and higher value-added economic activities. Experience from Europe and North America suggests that ‘smarter’ urban growth based on compact, integrated mixed-use places can give impetus to the development of new jobs and businesses by nurturing smaller, more locally-rooted enterprises, encouraging face-to-face contact and the exchange of ideas and attracting skilled people, and helping to make for more vibrant and cohesive social arrangements. This conception of smarter growth underpins Beyond Green’s scheme proposals.

The Statement of Community Involvement explains how stakeholders and the public have been involved in the planning and design process for NS&OC and how feedback has been absorbed in the preparation of this planning application with regard to social and economic development.

It should be noted that this statement has been prepared separately from, and should not be conflated with, the Socioeconomic Assessment provided within the Environmental Statement.

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2. EVIDENCE BASE

2.1 Economic issues

At the strategic level, the proposed development helps to deliver a 15-year plan for the growth of Greater Norwich contained in the adopted GNDP Joint Core Strategy. A substantial evidence base on the economy of Greater Norwich, which underpins the JCS, is contained in the Greater Norwich Economic Assessment (2009) and the Greater Norwich Economic Strategy 2009-14 it informs. To obtain a further analysis approaching the issues specifically from the principles described above, economics consultancy Ecorys were commissioned to undertake a study and advise Beyond Green on economic development interventions and priorities, including by applying proprietary models to help understand the essential characteristics of the economic base (see Box 1; full report available on the Beyond Green website). The following summary synthesises both analyses.

Greater Norwich has a dynamic and resilient economy built on a stable, diversified industrial base and providing consistently high levels of employment. Even in March 2011, with the country in recession, unemployment in Broadland stood at the frictional level of 2% and in Norwich at 4.4%, much lower than most comparable English regional cities. Unemployment among 18-to-24-year-olds was higher, reflecting a nationwide problem but still lower than the national average. At the same time, relatively low earnings reflect a combination of variable productivity in the industrial base (a mix of productive public, manufacturing and higher-value-added service sector jobs and less productive lower-skilled service sector work) and a relatively low cost of living.

Positive structural features of the Greater Norwich economy include a strong retail sector benefiting from the relative isolation and strong self-containment of the city-region, a large higher and further education offer which has a substantial multiplier effect into the consumer economy and generates one of the highest graduate retention rates in the country, and a significant presence in productive sectors such as financial services, creative industries, advanced engineering and public administration which have a solid base and reasonably positive prospects for long-term growth and/or stability. Quality of life and cultural heritage are seen as under-exploited economic strengths for attracting both tourists and talent. The existing sectoral structure suggests potential to capitalise locally on a wider shift towards a low-carbon economy, including in clean technologies, local food and sustainable tourism.

On the negative side, low wages and the relatively low skills profile of the area as a whole (especially the city itself) suggest an economy partially in ‘low-skill equilibrium’1, with substantial graduate ‘underemployment’ blocking access to intermediate jobs for lower-skilled workers. Entrepreneurship rates, as measured by company starts, are relatively low and there is a weak presence and growth among the type of middle-sized, locally-owned firms that drive the most successful regional economies, with the area heavily dependent on larger employers. The city is not perceived nationally or internationally as an attractive investment location, and graduate retention rates are falling.

The economic geography of the area is of relative self-containment, with the overwhelming majority of jobs in Greater Norwich filled by residents of Norwich, Broadland and South Norfolk. There has been some displacement of jobs from central Norwich in recent years, with a loss of 5,600 jobs in Greater Norwich in the decade to 2008 more than compensated by almost 20,000 extra jobs in Broadland and South Norfolk, largely reflecting the distribution of new employment land and the attraction of out-of-city locations to more cost-conscious businesses.

1 a self-reinforcing circle of low wages, low skills and low value output – particularly as applied to volume employment (i.e. there may be higher value, highly productive activities but they account for a relatively low employment share of the economy)

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Box 1: Local Economic Assessment Modelling Local Economic Assessment Model (LEAM) combines a basket of official statistics to show how local economies perform on key indicators of underlying economic strength and potential, as set out in the table below. For each of these domains, individual indicators are combined to create a composite index score.

Domain Description

Scale & Capacity Comparative size or ‘economic mass’ including aggregate employment, labour force, business base, and commercial value.

Dynamism Recent growth performance and capacity; direction and pace of change – including employment, labour force, and business base.

Sector Composition Depth and composition of high growth and high value-added industrial sectors – including knowledge economy, high technology manufacturing and consumer services

Enterprise & Business Base

Profile and performance of small business sector (‘enterprise culture’) – including business start-ups, self employment and business density

Skills & Labour Market

Strength of skills base and workforce profile – including skills attainment, occupational structure, and economic activity/ dependency ratios

Greater Norwich is particularly dynamic, due mainly to high growth in the working age population. The area also scores well on the labour market index (on a par with Great Britain and ahead of Norfolk and the East of England region). However, it is weaker with respect to its sector composition and enterprise and business base. The area as a whole has a relatively low density of high growth and high value-added sectors and is shown to have levels of enterprise well below the national average (although this is reflected across the whole region).

Source: Ecorys

Dynamism

Sector Composition

Enterprise & Business Base

Skills & Labour Market

LEAM

Greater Norwich

Norfolk

East of England

Great Britain

That the vast majority of new businesses formed in Greater Norwich that decade (2,450 out of 2,500) had fewer than 50 employees suggests that most of the new employment growth (of 14,000 or 9%) was among existing companies expanding and, in some cases, relocating out of town. There is a recognised need to

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improve the quality of investment-grade office accommodation in the city centre and for planned growth to deliver a more sustainable, mixed-use pattern of development than in recent years.

There are significant differences between how residents of Norwich and those of Broadland access work. In Norwich, over 40% of employed people live within 2km of their workplace and three-quarters live within 5km2. Partly owing to this pattern of relatively short commutes, 44% of journeys to work (where people do not work from home) by Norwich residents are by sustainable modes (on foot, cycle or public transport) and 54% either driving or as a passenger driven in a car or van. By contrast, only 23% of Broadland workers live within 2km and 45% within 5km of their workplace; unsurprisingly, therefore, the car accounts for 78% of commutes and sustainable modes only 19%.

The immediate catchment of the application site3 shows an intermediate pattern between those of Norwich and Broadland. Around 23% of journeys to work are of less than 2km and 65% of less than 5km – the latter much closer to the Norwich figure than that of wider Broadland, and the high proportion in the 2-5km bracket indicating a significant level of trips probably to the City Centre – but whilst commuting mode shares of 73% by car and 24% by sustainable modes lie between the Norwich and Broadland averages, they are much close to the Broadland than to the Norwich pattern. This suggests that, whilst residents in the vicinity of the site benefit from proximity to the critical mass of jobs in the Norwich urban area they are relatively less able or inclined to access them by modes other than the car.

2.2 Social issues

As a development within the largely rural Broadland district but clearly predicated as an urban extension to Norwich, NS&OC straddles both these social contexts. One accepted way of taking a broad overview of social conditions in a local area is to study indices of relative deprivation and prosperity.

Measured against other parts of England according to the 2010 English Indices of Deprivation, Broadland is a prosperous district (see Table 1). Overall, nowhere in the district is among the most-deprived quarter of areas nationally, and only 7 of 84 statistical areas are among the most-deprived half; there are also relatively few wealthy enclaves (no areas in the least-deprived hundredth and 12 of 84 in the least-deprived tenth). The only indicator on which any part of Broadland is among the most deprived tenth of areas in England is in barriers to housing and services, which is primarily a reflection of the unavailability of affordable housing and the distance to services. Broadland enjoys comparatively low crime rates everywhere (all areas are among the least-deprived quarter nationally), good health (all areas are among the least-deprived half nationally and around one-third are among the least-deprived tenth) and good, relatively equal levels of income (all bar four areas falls between the 25th and 75th percentiles). Only on education and skills, where half of areas fall into the most deprived 10-50% and only 9 of 84 into the least-deprived quarter, are outcomes relatively poor.

2 All travel to work data from Census 2001 Tables KS15 and UV35

3 based on Broadland LSOAs 005B, 005C, 005D, 009A, 009B, 009C, 009D, 009E, 012A, 012B, 012C, 012D, 013A, 013B, 013C, 013D and 013e

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Domain / Rank

Mos

t dep

rive

d 0-

1%

Mos

t dep

rive

d 1-

10%

Mos

t dep

rive

d 10

-25%

Mos

t dep

rive

d 25

-50%

Leas

t dep

rive

d 25

-50%

Leas

t dep

rive

d 10

-25%

Leas

t dep

rive

d 1-

10%

Leas

t dep

rive

d 0-

1%

Overall 0 0 0 7 37 28 12 0

Income 0 0 0 16 45 19 4 0

Employment 0 0 0 20 43 19 2 0

Health deprivation & disability

0 0 0 0 16 40 28 0

Education, skills & training 0 0 2 40 33 8 1 0

Barriers to housing & services 0 10 10 21 23 14 6 1

Crime 0 0 0 0 4 26 47 7

Living environment 0 0 0 12 25 29 14 4

Table 1: Deprivation in Broadland (IMD 2010; total 84 LSOAs)

By comparison, Norwich presents a much more mixed picture (see Table 2). Overall, more than half of areas fall within the most-deprived 10-50% nationally, with 8 of 79 in the most deprived 10%, but also 6 in the least-deprived 10%. Employment deprivation is significant: over two-thirds of areas are among the most-deprived half nationally, although 14 of 79 also fall into the least-deprived quarter. Most striking, not least in terms of the level of inequality across the city, is education and skills: 6 of 79 areas are among the most-deprived hundredth nationally and half are among the most-deprived quarter; but 10 areas are among the least-deprived tenth nationally. Crime, although more prevalent than in Broadland, is low for a major city, and there are no extremes of deprivation or prosperity in relation to living environment and barriers to housing and services. The situation in Norwich reflects a typical urban patchwork of areas of prosperity alongside areas of multiple deprivation, although there is less clustering at either extreme than is characteristic of many English regional cities.

Domain / Rank

Mos

t dep

rive

d 0-

1%

Mos

t dep

rive

d 1-

10%

Mos

t dep

rive

d 10

-25%

Mos

t dep

rive

d 25

-50%

Leas

t dep

rive

d 25

-50%

Leas

t dep

rive

d 10

-25%

Leas

t dep

rive

d 1-

10%

Leas

t dep

rive

d 0-

1%

Overall 0 8 24 23 13 5 6 0

Income 0 8 27 19 14 5 6 0

Employment 0 10 20 24 11 10 3 1

Health deprivation & disability 0 6 12 30 24 7 0 0

Education, skills & training 6 22 12 13 10 6 10 0

Barriers to housing & services 0 1 3 21 41 13 0 0

Crime 0 4 17 31 21 4 2 0

Living environment 0 5 20 27 22 3 2 0

Table 2: Deprivation in Norwich (IMD 2010; total 79 LSOAs)

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In the immediate vicinity of the site4, no areas are within the most deprived half nationally overall, although most are in the most deprived 25-50% for education, training and skills, reflecting the general ‘underskilling’ on the area compared with the average.

Development at NS&OC will produce at least two new Lower Layer Super Output Area (LSOA) statistical areas in its own right, and have a direct bearing on a number of measured outcomes: most directly barriers to housing and services, and living environment; and, indirectly through the mix of households attracted to and able to access the housing offer, to wider socioeconomic factors including overall income and employment levels (the Housing Statement explains how the housing offer is calibrated to meet a mix of needs). The Design and Access Statement explains how a good living environment will be provided. Regarding the provision of services (and wider social infrastructure), the application proposals are guided primarily by the GNDP Infrastructure Needs Study (2009) which looks in detail at the rates of provision of education, health, police, fire and other community services required alongside new developments (it also considers recreation and open space, which is addressed in the Green Infrastructure Statement). This Study substantially underpins the Local Investment Plan and Programme with regard to housing growth which will in turn be funded partly through the proposed Community Infrastructure Levy (see Delivery Statement). The proposed provision, and how the scheme responds, is described in Section 5 below.

4 based on Broadland LSOAs 005B, 005C, 005D, 009A, 009B, 009C, 009D, 009E, 012A, 012B, 012C, 012D, 013A, 013B, 013C, 013D and 013e

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3. POLICY AND STRATEGIC CONTEXT Policy with regard to social and economic development is described in a range of national and local policy documents, principally the NPPF at a national level and the GNDP Joint Core Strategy locally. In addition, the GNDP Economic Strategy constitutes an important (non-statutory) strategic statement of the economic direction of the area. Given the Government’s stated intention to abolish the East of England Plan, this is not considered as part of the applicable policy context. Moreover, the overall context set by the NPPF – in particular the status it affords up-to-date local plans – is considered in the Planning Support Statement and not repeated here.

3.1 GNDP Joint Core Strategy

Note: Following a legal challenge, parts of the text of the adopted GNDP Joint Core Strategy were remitted by High Court Order and reverted to the pre-submission stage of the plan process, to be treated as not having been subject to examination and adoption. Following further work to address the High Court ruling, a version of the Joint Core Strategy containing proposed submission text was published for consultation on 10th August 2012. Where pre-submission text is quoted, it is underlined.

With regard to social and economic development, the Joint Core Strategy sets out objectives to:

• “promote economic growth and diversity and provide a wide range of jobs” (Objective 3) by, inter alia, safeguarding employment sites and allocating land to meet employment needs, encouraging the growth of Norwich city centre, and promoting “[m]ixed-use development, live-work units and diversification schemes... to reduce the need for people to commute long distances to work”;

• “promote regeneration and reduce deprivation” (Objective 4), using development and growth to bring benefits to local people; and

• “make sure people have ready access to services” (Objective 6) by, inter alia, ensuring that “[w]herever new homes or jobs are to be developed, existing supporting services must either already be adequate or will be provided at the right stage of a new development”.

The following policies describe how, as applicable to the proposed development, these objectives will be achieved.

3.1.1 Policy 5: the Economy Policy 5 states that “[t]he local economy will be developed in a sustainable way to support jobs and economic growth both in urban and rural locations” in order to provide for a rising population, facilitate at least 27,000 additional jobs in the period from 2008 to 2026, and “increase the proportion of higher value, knowledge economy jobs while ensuring that opportunities are available for the development of all types and levels of jobs in all sectors of the economy and for all the workforce”. Central to the strategy are the protection of existing and allocation of additional employment land and improving education and training in relevant sectors.

Of particular relevance to NS&OC, which is a residential-led development are the provisions that

• “the needs of small, medium and start-up businesses will be addressed through the allocation of new smaller scale employment sites and the retention of, and the potential expansion of, a range of existing small and medium employment sites across the area and by requiring the provision of small-scale business opportunities in all significant residential and commercial developments. Flexible building design and innovative approaches will be sought in new and existing residential developments to encourage local working and business opportunities”;

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• “[t]ourism, leisure, environmental and cultural industries will be promoted”, assisted by, inter alia, “encouragement for appropriate development including sustainable tourism initiatives” and “encouragement for development that creates a supportive environment for cultural industries”; and

• support for “[t]he rural economy and diversification” through “promotion of farmers markets, farm shops and cottage industry, including e-commerce in villages, the development of a flagship food and farming hub serving the needs of Norfolk and supporting the agri-food sector in and around greater Norwich, and promoting the development of appropriate new and expanded businesses, which provide either tourism or other local employment opportunities”.

3.1.2 Policy 7: Supporting communities Policy 7 states that “[a]ll development will be expected to maintain or enhance the quality of life and the well being of communities and will promote equality and diversity, and protect and strengthen community cohesion. In order to deliver thriving communities, tackle social deprivation and meet diverse needs across the area, a multi-agency approach will be required to ensure that facilities and services are available as locally as possible, considering the potential for co-location, and are accessible on foot, by cycle and public transport.”

In relation to health, the policy states that “[a]ppropriate and accessible health facilities and services will be provided across the area including through new or expanded primary health facilities serving the major growth locations” and that “[h]ealthier lifestyles will be promoted by maximising access by walking and cycling and providing opportunities for social interaction and greater access to green space and the countryside”.

In relation to crime, the policy states that “[n]ew police facilities will be provided to serve areas of major growth and areas which are deficient. Development will be well designed, to include safe and accessible spaces where crime and fear of crime are minimised”.

In relation to education, “[p]rovision will be made for sufficient, appropriate and accessible education opportunities for both residents and non-residents, including wider community use of schools, including through design [and] new primary and new or expanded secondary schools to serve the major growth locations”.

In relation to community halls and cohesion, the policy states that “[p]rovision will be made to ensure equitable access to new and improved community halls, including new provision on major developments. This will provide facilities for use by a wide range of groups, including faith communities. Expanded library provision will be made including through new or expanded facilities in major growth locations.”

3.1.3 Policy 8: Culture, leisure and entertainment Policy 8 states that “Development will be expected to provide for local cultural and leisure activities, including new or improved built facilities, provide for a range of activities including performance space, and/or access to green space, including formal recreation, country parks and the wider countryside”

3.1.4 Policy 10: Locations for major new or expanded communities in the Norwich Policy Area Policy 10 states that major growth locations “will be masterplanned as attractive, well-serviced, integrated, mixed use development” and that development will “seek to achieve a high level of self containment through the provision of services to support the new development while integrating well with neighbouring communities”. This includes “include new or expanded education provision addressing the needs of the 0-19 age range, local retail and other services, community, police and recreational facilities, small-scale employment opportunities and primary healthcare facilities”. The policy also states that “developers of

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major Strategic Growth Locations will be required to ensure there is an ongoing commitment to support community development throughout the period until the development is completed”.

Specifically with regard to the Old Catton, Sprowston, Rackheath, Thorpe St Andrew ‘Growth Triangle’ the policy suggests “that this new community will take the form of a series of inter-related new villages or quarters” providing, inter alia:

• “a district centre based around an accessible ‘high street’ and including a new library, education and health facilities. This may be provided by building on the proposed centre at Blue Boar Lane or by the creation of a second district centre elsewhere in the Growth Triangle. The development will also require new local centres”;

• “new pre-school provision and up to six new primary schools plus a new secondary school with an initial phase to open as early as possible. To facilitate early provision the early phases of development will concentrate on family housing”; and

• “new employment allocations for local needs including expansion of the Rackheath employment area”.

3.2 Greater Norwich Economic Strategy 2009-14

The purpose of the GNES is “to define priorities for economic development in Greater Norwich”. It sets out several ambitions, which can be summarised as:

• structural change, towards a knowledge-based economy with a bigger base in science- and research-led enterprise;

• consolidation of existing strengths in areas such as finance, media and retail and the bolstering of Norwich city centre as a nationally important economic centre;

• sectoral development particularly in high-value and high-growth industries such as engineering, environment and life sciences, with an emphasis on creating spatially focused ‘clusters’ based around institutions and location like the University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park and Hethel;

• better connectivity by road, rail and air; • greater exploitation of the economic potential of tourism, heritage and the appeal of the rural hinterland;

and • low-carbon transformation through the adoption of environmental technologies and renewable energy

development.

The strategy sets out four objectives focused on enterprise, skills, infrastructure and profile; and, under each, a small number of priorities. Particularly relevant to NS&OC are priorities to:

• “create more sustainable jobs by increasing the number of new business start ups and supporting the growth of small and medium sized enterprises” – a genuinely mixed-use sustainable urban extension should offer both space and business opportunities to entrepreneurial businesses on both the for-profit and not-for-profit sectors;

• “support the growth of the knowledge economy by encouraging key sectors and facilitating the attraction and development of businesses which can exploit the commercial potential of the research expertise in the UEA and Norwich Research Park” – although not a strategic employment location in its own right or adjacent to UEA or NRP, residential-led sustainable urban extensions should contribute to the wider ‘place’ offer to both businesses and their staff;

• “contribute to the development of an improved and sustainable transport and communications infrastructure to support planned growth and development” – large-scale mixed-use sustainable urban extensions can contribute directly to expanding these networks;

• “maintain an appropriate supply of suitably located employment land and premises” – genuinely mixed-use places will support diversity and choice of places to do business;

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• “ensure that the investment required in public utilities infrastructure and other essential infrastructure takes place so that the development of key sites is not constrained” – large-scale residential-led development will contribute via the Community Infrastructure Levy and Section 106 to this infrastructure and support the demand base for its viability; and

• “promote a strong and coherent image of Greater Norwich capitalising on its particular strengths as a business location” – an authentically sustainable mixed-use urban extension (of which there remain relatively few real examples) could contribute directly to the development of Greater Norwich’s business and investment brand

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4. SCHEME PROPOSALS This section describes the scheme proposals for social and economic development and how they respond to the evidence base, policy requirements and public and stakeholder debate. It is split into the following subsections: the neighbourhoods and centres; employment and business; leisure; shopping; public services and facilities; and community and economic development.

4.1 Neighbourhoods and centres

As set out in the Design and Access Statement, the basic unit of planning and design at NS&OC is the walkable neighbourhood. Several conditions are necessary to functioning walkable neighbourhoods, among which is that each has a centre accessible within a short walk of surrounding residential streets in which are located facilities that serve everyday needs such as for shopping, socialising and accessing public services. A centre can take any number of scales and forms but first and foremost it is a concentration of mixed-use activities to which there is a high level of connectivity (i.e. people ‘naturally’ go there).

The principle of concentration is especially important in predominantly (and especially newly-built) residential environments because mixed-uses are much more difficult to get going and sustain in these areas, often because the density of population alone is not sufficiently great to sustain a more distributed pattern of mixed-uses. Concentration and co-location maximises the opportunities for transaction of daily business while minimising the movement necessary to do it. Dispersion weakens the ‘spillover’ effects of concentration and reduces the efficiency with which services can be provided and businesses located close to their customers and workers. It is therefore a key element of the strategy for NS&OC to channel as much mixed-use activity as possible into centres which are in turn located so as to make sense in relation both to patterns of connectivity and movement within and across the area and to each other.

Applied to the planning of NS&OC, the walkable neighbourhood principle produces:

• a main local centre around the Main Square, with the potential to become, through future designation, a district centre;

• a secondary local centre serving the ‘half neighbourhood’ to the west of the scheme closest to Wroxham Road and acting as a ‘gateway’ from the permanent edge formed by Wroxham Road and Sprowston Manor Golf Club;

• completion of a radial walkable neighbourhood centred on the existing district centre around Morrison’s at Old Catton; and

• smaller-scale neighbourhood centres based around the connection to existing parts of Sprowston at Church Lane South and at Red Hall Farm, with enhancement of existing mixed-use at Old Catton.

Table 3 below shows how non-residential uses are proposed to be allocated between these five centres.

Character area Employment Retail/service Community Education Hotel

m2, GIA

Main Square Up to 9,000 Up to 7,500 Up to 1,500 Up to 2,500 Up to 1,000

Wroxham Road Square Up to 9,000 Up to 1,000 Up to 500 n/a n/a

Church Lane South n/a Up to 500 n/a n/a

Red Hall Farm Up to 1,000 Up to 500 n/a n/a

Old Catton n/a Up to 500 n/a Up to 2,500 n/a

Total Up to 16,800 Up to 8,800 Up to 2,000 Up to 5,000 Up to 1,000

Table 3: distribution of mixed-uses across centres

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The following sub-sections describe more fully what will be incorporated into each centre; these should be read in conjunction with the Design and Access Statement; particularly Chapter 8, Character and Identity.

4.1.1 The Main Square The Main Square is the primary centre within the scheme. Located at the junction of the realigned North Walsham Road and the proposed new east-west orbital route through the Growth Triangle (which will form a High Street as it passes through the centre of NS&OC), it lies at the naturally busiest point in the development with the highest levels of public transport and pedestrian accessibility.

The square itself is approximately 8,000m2 in area and has around 370m of perimeter frontage. At ground-floor level most of this frontage, and some of that on streets just off it, will be non-residential, consisting of shopfronts, fronted offices, public buildings and entrances to above-ground offices and apartments (although there may be some all-residential townhouses, their ground floors able to accommodate future change of uses, at intervals). Generally, the design ethos of the square is to achieve fine-grain, narrow-fronted development on the long north and south sides with bulkier ‘object’ commercial and/or public buildings at the shorter east and west sides.

More specifically:

• the north side of the square (south fronts of blocks MS03 and MS04), which benefits from a southern aspect onto the square itself and the ability to spillout directly into the square, will be a focal area for social places such as cafes, restaurants and pubs interspersed with small-scale retail and fronted offices. Above ground floors will mostly be residential apartments, although there will be some first-floor office and retail space according to the needs of occupiers. A site for a two-form entry primary school is proposed just off the square, and it is likely that the adjacent blocks would be appealing locations in which complementary uses such as a health centre, nursery and even community hall could be given space;

• the south side of the square will be predominantly retail frontage. A small ‘general store’ style supermarket with a sales area of up to 1,500m2 will be accommodated, with fine grain maintained above. Other retail units will be smaller, and there may also be some fronted office buildings for banks, estate agents and similar. Above ground floor uses will be predominantly residential. A small hotel or guesthouse could also be incorporated;

• at the east end of the square, a more substantial, larger-floorplate office and/or civic building is proposed. This will be an ‘object’ building designed to bring an element of grandeur to the square and contribute to a sense of place and arrival. Depending on occupier demand, this could be a single building for a large employer or subdivided to accommodate several businesses of different sizes, and could incorporate a large assembly space serving as a community hall. However, the building will be designed to be adaptable so that, if necessary, it could accommodate future conversion to residential use;

• at the west end of the square, block MS01 will serve to close off the square from the busy primary road junction. A ‘micro-block’ which will have frontage on every side with an internal courtyard and could be delivered as a single large building or several smaller ones, this will be a predominantly commercial building and is the preferred location for an ‘Enterprise Hub’ bringing together workspaces, meeting spaces and back-office services for small businesses and homeworkers (see section 4.2.3 below). It could also accommodate a library, internet and information centre.

This distribution of uses in and around the square will help to generate footfall across and around it at all times of day, regardless of the wider ‘programme’ for the space, making it a busy, interesting, congenial place in which there is a lot of eye contact and face-to-face meeting.

A guiding principle of detailed design around the Main Square will be adaptability. Many buildings containing non-residential uses will be designed and built as narrow-fronted townhouse types, with ground floors ‘ready converted’ for non-residential use but capable of being economically refurbished for residential use should future needs dictate. Modular construction techniques will be considered to allow the easy

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merging and separation of floorplates at different levels, maximising flexibility to meet occupier demands whilst preserving the character and townscape of the square. This adaptable design will apply not just to the square itself but to streets off the square which could accommodate an expansion of mixed-uses in the future, for example should the square be designated a District Centre. The requirements of adaptable building design (location and specification) will be defined by the Site-Wide Design and Sustainability Code (see Delivery statement).

Apart from the larger buildings described above, it is intended to limit the size of floorplate of any one retail unit to 200m2 in sales area and any one office unit to around 500m2. This will help to ensure the essentially small-scale, diverse and independent character intended for the commercial life of the square is delivered in practice and that there are appropriate planning controls on any future demand to alter the scale and nature of the proposals.

4.1.2 Wroxham Road Square Wroxham Road Square is the secondary local centre. It is around 4,200m2 in area and has around 260m of frontage. Located just off Wroxham Road and opposite the permanently open land of Sprowston Manor golf club, this square forms a natural and highly accessible ‘gateway’ to the development from its busiest radial route to and from Norwich city centre, and from the Sprowston park-and-ride terminus.

Because of its accessibility, it is proposed to accommodate a substantial amount (up to 9,000m2) of office-based employment on Wroxham Road Square, together with enough local convenience retail and services (up to 1,000m2) to meet the needs of the working-hours population and local residential population.

Open on the east side, Wroxham Road Square will be less intimate than the Main Square and will be close to large-scale land uses such as the energy centre. Although universally of integrated, urban typologies some of the office buildings here will have a larger floor plate than on the Main Square enabling more people to be accommodated on a single floor and making the overall grain of the square more varied. Similar adaptable building design principles will be adopted here as on the Main Square.

4.1.3 Red Hall Farm and Beeston Park Located at the junction of the old and new North Walsham Roads and Beeston Lane on the northern fringe of NS&OC where it meets the countrywide, Red Hall Farm (block RH01 and the adjacent blocks of the Beeston Park neighbourhood) will become a significant gateway to the development, to Beeston Park via the linear park east along Beeston Lane, and to Greater Norwich as a whole.

Red Hall Farm is proposed to be developed as a visitor centre for Beeston Park and a centre for food and rural activities. The redbrick farmhouse and outbuildings will be retained and other, lower-value buildings will be removed and redeveloped as a complex of small-scale office, workshop and retail spaces. Activities accommodated within the complex could include a farm shop(s), small-scale food processing (e.g. microbrewery, preserving), equestrian activities, art and craft, cafe and an interpretation and education centre. Although a farm shop might also sell a small range of general groceries and news with the aim of serving the residential population within the vicinity, general retail and employment not connected to the rural economy will not be allowed.

It is anticipated that Red Hall Farm will be developed as a standalone project and business with detailed design – as constrained by the parameters of this application – reflecting the needs and aspirations of partners within the project.

4.1.4 Church Lane South Church Lane South forms a key local pedestrian and cycle connection with existing parts of Sprowston to the south via the Millennium Woodland. It is hoped that development will increase rather than curtail the use of

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this route for recreation and to access services at the Main Square, and the creation of a significant gateway green space (as proposed through the Sprowston neighbourhood planning process) together with the retention of the character of some of Church Lane itself is intended to facilitate this.

Given the perceived lack of good quality community hall space in north Sprowston and the opportunity presented by this connection, it makes sense to provide for small-scale mixed-use development (in blocks CLS07, CLS08, CLS11 or CLS12) that could incorporate a community hall, pub (fronting and making use of the open space) and/or small convenience shop or newsagent providing resources both to the immediate residential area and to people from south of NS&OC using Church Lane for recreation or, for example, visiting St Mary’s and St Margaret’s church from other parts of NS&OC. A total of up to 500m2 is allowed with the proviso that no more than 100m2 each can be allocated for use as either pub or retail space.

4.1.5 Old Catton Old Catton has an established district centre and the impact of the scheme would be to place additional homes within walking distance of that centre, giving those residents good access to local services (with the ability to access others slightly further afield at the Main Square) and improving the centre’s catchment. The application provides for the development of up to 500m2 in additional retail and service space fronting the Spixworth Road, overlooking the playing fields to the west (SP01) and close to the proposed primary school site to allow for the small-scale expansion and integration of the district centre into the new development to the north if demand allows. No single unit will be larger than 100m2.

4.2 Employment and business

Careful consideration has been given to the amount and type of employment it is feasible and appropriate to attract to NS&OC. In addition to evidence on the economy of the area, the application proposals seek to balance four key factors:

• There is a balance between the creation of a lasting business base with roots in and unbreakable connections with the local economy, which tends to favour the growth of local enterprises from modest origins, and the rapid provision of volume jobs, which tends to favour the attraction of mobile investment that can, up to point, go where it likes and may leave as easily as it arrives. Pursuit of the latter needs to be carefully targeted to work with the grain of wider economic development and maximise ‘spillover’ benefits to locally-grown businesses, avoiding simply displacing investment from other areas.

• Beyond Green believe that, if implemented as proposed, NS&OC would within a decade become one of what is currently a very small number of recent developments renowned Europe-wide and beyond for quality of life and place, good design and authentic environmental sustainability. If so, it could potentially be attractive to businesses and investors that would not otherwise consider investing in Greater Norwich and for which other employment locations in the area would not necessarily be acceptable substitutes. Although it remains to be proven, this hypothesis should be planned for rather than planned out.

• Planning policy requires that all large-scale developments in Greater Norwich are planned as mixed-use developments, which implies more than a de minimis or purely ancillary level of employment activity. At the same time, there is a desire both to protect Norwich city centre from inappropriate competition and to channel significant investment to large-scale, in some cases specialised, employment sites.

• In some wards of central Norwich, over half of the resident population works within 2km of their home, but the majority of jobs are filled by commuters from further afield. In some parts of Broadland – including Sprowston and Old Catton – over two-thirds of local jobs are filled by local people (those travelling less than 2km to work), but the vast majority of residents have to commute elsewhere to work. To the extent that a degree of self-containment is desirable as a means of creating resilient local economies and more sustainable travel patterns, it means reconciling these two trends.

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4.2.1 Jobs and workspace: quantum The application proposals will accommodate approximately 1,000 jobs within NS&OC. The GNDP Infrastructure Needs Study assumes, on average, a ratio of one new worker per dwelling, meaning a ratio of roughly one job to every 3.35 dwellings is provided on site. If, as in the most ‘localised’ parts of Sprowston, two-thirds of these jobs were filled by people living within the development, it would mean that 20% of jobs and commutes would be ‘internalised’ to the site. This means more residential self-containment than is currently characteristic of Broadland, but less than in inner Norwich where the density of jobs is much greater.

Evidence on the extent to which people who live in new developments also work there is scant, mostly because so few developments are either big enough or mixed-use enough for meaningful comparison. The wider point, however, is that if the effect of the employment and business strategy for NS&OC is to bring to the area a significant number of high quality job opportunities, those opportunities are likely to be of interest to people living in both the new development and existing parts of Sprowston and Old Catton, all of whom are ‘local’. Also if, as the applicants intend, NS&OC attracts both residents and businesses partly on the basis of being an authentically sustainable place, there may be a better match between employers and workers locally than is ordinarily the case.

The proposed provision represents a cautious approach to business and employment given the scale of the development, respecting both the primacy of Norwich city centre and the policy commitment to significant development at dedicated employment locations. With a ratio of approximately 1m2 of employment generating space (including retail and community uses) to 20m2 of residential space, the proposed provision arguably does not go far beyond what is sufficient for the development to qualify for the description mixed-use. However, the applicants recognise that the novelty of what is proposed argues for some circumspection and that if demand to create business and jobs within the scheme should outstrip provision then consent to expand the level of employment space beyond the application proposals could be sought separately and would be subject to appropriate controls.

4.2.2 Jobs and workspace: types A guiding principle at NS&OC is ‘business in the community’: that workplaces should be fully integrated into the life of the place so that they enhance the townscape, provide custom for (and benefit from easy access to) shops and services and facilitate interaction between people who are around town for reasons of work and those who are there for other reasons. This is not just about the social and environmental benefits of walkability and face-to-face contact: in knowledge economies the importance of the ‘urban accident’ – the conversation in the pub that leads to a new business idea, or the neighbouring businesses that agree to bid for a project together – is much greater, and even in smaller places the notion of agglomeration economies – productivity gains accruing from the concentration of economic activity and creativity in dense urban places – has a strong logic.

There will therefore not be separate ‘employment’ land or areas within the development. Buildings for business will be integrated with the urban form and concentrated around the Main Square and Wroxham Road Square and will consist of a mix of the following typologies:

• Purpose-built three- and four-storey adaptable and sub-divisible commercial buildings (B1 use class) delivering a total of approximately 12,400m2 of space in flexible floorplates. Accommodating up to 50 but more typically 20-30 workers on a single floor, and generally incorporating active retail or office frontage at ground-floor level, these buildings will be suitable for use as company main offices, back-office services, professional service activities and other office-based employers primarily in the SME sector. As far as possible, Beyond Green will seek pre-lets for these buildings and involve potential occupiers in specifying high-quality, adaptable architectural designs.

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• Smaller office and studio units contained within ‘converted’ townhouses, mixed-use buildings (e.g. with retail on the ground floor and apartments above) and free-standing studio and workshop buildings. Totaling around 4,000m2 and aimed at businesses of up to 20 employees, these spaces will accommodate new-start and ‘lifestyle’ businesses, plus established small companies and those needing to move on from start-up accommodation. Their use will be primarily as offices but other studio and workshop-based creative industries whose activities do not conflict with the primarily residential nature of the development will be encouraged.

• A business ‘hub’ of around 400m2 and homeworking units (see section 5.2.3 below). • At Red Hall Farm, up to 1,000m2 of low-rise workshop and light industrial spaces in small units for

activities connected to the rural economy.

All business space will benefit from fast fibre-optic broadband connections, servicing by the on-site Estate Management Company, and the inherently low environmental footprint that will be a hallmark of the development.

4.2.3 Target sectors and occupiers If granted outline planning consent, Beyond Green intends to market business opportunities at NS&OC actively to potential occupiers in sectors where there is good fit between the underlying business activity, the ethos of the development and the wider strengths and trajectory of the Greater Norwich and Norfolk economies, and where there is scope for ‘indigenous’ business growth (see below). The focus is on the SME sector (up to 250 employees but mostly in the 5-50 employee bracket), and sectors and businesses where there is an ethical and brand affinity with the purpose of the development to create a high quality of life and low environmental footprint, including a willingness to work with local supply chain initiatives, workplace travel planning and sustainable sourcing and waste management.

Based on the evidence base and fit with the brand of NS&OC, target sectors are likely to include:

• professional services, including built environment-related services such as architecture and engineering, as well as general advisory, legal and financial services;

• ‘green collar’ businesses in tertiary sectors such as clean technology, consultancy, tourism, publishing and design; and

• small-scale food and drink production and processing.

However, as stated above, there will also be opportunities for a small number of ‘anchor’ companies to locate prominently in the development, and it is anticipated that the wider vision for NS&OC as a place and an enabler of different ways of living, allied to the wider strengths of Greater Norwich as a place of business and opportunity, will play a part in attracting such occupiers. These could be offices of major regional, national or international companies, charities or local or regional public bodies.

The on-site management company will have a remit to work alongside businesses locating within NS&OC to maximise local benefits and encourage interdependence with businesses in the local area. It will work with local training providers and employment agencies to advertise and broker employment opportunities and skills, and promote local supply chain development.

4.2.4 Economic development and enterprise Alongside the attraction of business occupiers, NS&OC aims to foster and support enterprise and become a focal place for business start-up and growth in Broadland, as both an economic strategy – endogenous growth based on the skills of local people is the most sustainable form of economic development in the long run – and as a lifestyle choice: increasing numbers of people prefer to work at or close to home to help balance work and life, and with the relatively large proportion of older people expected to move into the Greater Norwich area more people are likely to want to work from or close to home in a state of partial

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retirement or occasional work. Discussion with economic development officers at Broadland Council indicates there is also strong latent demand for incubation and ‘move-on’ accommodation within the district, at both full market rents and in the ‘sheltered’ sector.

To support this aim, the proposals for NS&OC incorporate the following:

• Within the smaller office and studio type spaces described above, at least 25% will be made available as managed workspaces for business of 1-10 employees (unit sizes up to 200m2) and at least 10% of total space will be made available at turnover rents (or, by agreement, other sub-market tenure) to provide start-up and move-on accommodation for entrepreneurial start-ups (with the tenure able to be flexibly applied to different spaces within the portfolio so that companies do not necessarily have to move when their tenure changes). A memorandum of understanding will be agreed between Beyond Green and Broadland Council to provide the latter with the power to nominate businesses for accommodation under sub-market tenures through its economic development service, providing a valuable economic development resource for the whole district.

• An Enterprise Hub will be established in the Main Square. Based on the principles of The Hub5, this will provide a social and professional space for entrepreneurs, home-workers and micro-businesses to work, hold meetings, collaborate and access back-office services such as secretarial support and events management. Partner(s) will be sought to run the facility, which will benefit from subsidised rents, as an independent social or commercial business, and a library, internet and information centre could be co-located on a public ground floor of the building.

• Homes within the development will generally be designed to achieve maximum Code for Sustainable Homes credits for enabling homeworking, and up to 2.5% of dwellings (around 90) will be constructed as specially-designed homeworking units with dedicated studio or workshop space (see Housing statement).

In addition, a range of ‘soft’ measures to promote enterprise will be developed and implemented as part of further work post-application on community governance; see section 4.7 below.

4.3 Leisure and tourism

Although primarily a development to serve the established needs of growth in Greater Norwich, the applicants believe there is potential for NS&OC to contribute to the growth of the tourism economy, which is widely seen as a major local economic development priority. The location, on the north-east side of Norwich, offers good access both to the city and to the rural attractions of the Norfolk countryside, Broads and coast; and, judging by the experience of similarly-ambitious developments in continental Europe, if the development is implemented as proposed it could, at a modest scale, become a tourist attraction in its own right, contributing to Norwich’s already strong appeal among discerning ‘city breakers’.

A key indicator of a successful, prospering community is a prevalence and variety of bustling cafes, restaurants and pubs. This goes both for the resident community and for visitors, who, when they are not visiting ‘attractions’, often want to do as the locals do. A central feature of the strategy for NS&OC is to create enough weight of street activity throughout the day in key nodes to allow a flourishing cafe, restaurant and social culture. Around Red Hall Farm a cluster of attractions including equestrian centre, farm shops, cafe, ice cream parlour, playground and craft workshops is envisaged as both a local resource and a potential visitor attraction.

Features of the leisure and tourism economy of NS&OC will include:

5 http://www.the-hub.net/

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• restaurants and cafes. These will cater to every taste and budget from fine-dining to sandwich shops. The management company will work with operators to ensure sustainable sourcing and waste management practices are adhered to across the development;

• pubs and bars, including at least three town-style pubs with on-street seating and at least one with a large family-oriented garden or courtyard; and

• up to two small hotels or guesthouses.

These uses will be concentrated in and around the Main Square and Wroxham Road Square, with a secondary cluster at Red Hall Farm as described above and the potential for some distributed facilities (e.g. a neighbourhood pub at Church Lane South) as allowed for in the parameters.

The hotel provision is intended to allow for the incorporation of up to two small (up to 40-room) ‘boutique’ hotels or guesthouses on or just off the squares, which will meet a combination of tourist and business needs and those of visitors to residents of NS&OC. It is likely that a separate, full planning application will be brought forward in due course to convert Beeston Hall into a hotel, business and conferencing facility.

4.4 Shopping

The retail strategy for the development reflects the dual aim that the shopping experience should (i) embody a place that has a high quality of life and very low environmental footprint and (ii) enable local people to meet their daily needs without having to travel off-site, and not displace custom from existing centres, particularly Norwich. Key elements of the strategy are as follows:

• An emphasis on small, independent and/or locally-owned outlets providing sustainably produced and sourced food, goods and services. Rent subsidies and controls will be used to attract occupiers at an early stage and leases will be actively managed by the on-site management company to ensure an appropriate mix of outlets is maintained.

• Around the Main Square, which will be the main retail focal point, the objective will be to create a traditional high street experience with a number of specialist retailers such as butchers, bakeries, delicatessens, hardware, bookshops, art/craft and record stores, as well as banks, solicitors, dry cleaners, cycle hire shops, a post office, hair and beauty salons and other personal services. There will be a small town centre style supermarket (e.g. East of England Co-op, M&S or Little Waitrose) serving as a ‘general store’. Beyond Green will work to establish a regular weekly market in the Main Square.

• Secondary retail on Wroxham Road Square catering to both residential and business convenience needs, and near Red Hall Farm, where units will be targeted at local food, art and craft business and goods and services related to the rural economy. There could also be small convenience retail at Church Lane South and Old Catton as allowed for in the parameters.

• Adaptable ground floors on buildings at key locations throughout the development (e.g. primary-secondary street corners) allowing further distributed small-scale retail to emerge over time if demand dictates.

• The on-site management company will work with residents and major suppliers to promote a sustainable home shopping system on site, whereby consolidated deliveries from major food or bulk goods stores off-site incur a reduced or no delivery charge, and by providing localised drop-off facilities for parcel deliveries.

4.5 Public and community services

Under the proposed Community Infrastructure Levy to be introduced in Broadland, provision of public and community services, or ‘social infrastructure’, is to be decided on an area-wide basis in accordance with the Local Investment Plan and Programme (LIPP). In addition to improving the quality of strategic planning for public services and reducing the need for case-by-case negotiation of provision through Section 106

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agreements, these arrangements have the effect of reducing the flexibility for developments to provide buildings for public and community services in lieu of financial payments.

Provision of public services in the ‘Growth Triangle’ is to be considered on an area-wide basis, inter alia through the proposed Area Action Plan, and it cannot be assumed that particular (especially larger) pieces of social infrastructure will necessarily be provided on the application site. However, there is a strong desire on the part of Beyond Green to maximise residents’ accessibility to services wherever possible and to ensure that public and community services form part of a vibrant mixed economy at the heart of the community.

A number of assumptions have therefore been made about the likely scale and mix of social infrastructure provision within the scheme, in order to allow the necessary enabling provisions to be included in this application and to communicate clearly the applicants’ views, where relevant, on the preferred approach to social infrastructure provision on site. The main basis for this analysis is the 2009 GNDP Infrastructure Needs Study (INS), which sets out:

• methodologies for calculating population arisings from new development based on the mix of housing sizes and tenures;

• ratios for the provision of units of different social infrastructure typologies based on population denominators; and

• optimum policy- and guidance-based approaches to the configuration of social infrastructure (e.g. minimum school sizes).

This, together with pre-application discussion with local authorities and other stakeholders, has informed a series of assumptions underpinning the NS&OC scheme design which enable it to show how social infrastructure can be integrated into the scheme subject to overall investment decisions. The following sub-sections describe how this has been approached for different services, informed by two overarching principles:

• services should be located for maximal accessibility and co-location, which means placing most of them on or close to the Main Square; and

• public buildings and premises for service provision should wherever possible be housed in adaptable buildings fully integrated with the urban form rather than on standalone sites.

4.5.1 Population arisings Table 4 shows how the INS methodology has been applied to the application proposals for housing quantum and mix, assuming a policy-compliant level of 28% social rented housing (intermediate affordable housing, which policy requires at a rate of 5%, has the same population ratio as market housing). Because the mix of housing sizes to be ascribed to social rented housing is not known at this time, a pro rata assumption of 28% across the board has been applied.

Since, in practice, social rented provision is likely to be biased away from larger, 4+ bed properties, this probably represents a slight over-estimate of the actual population arisings.

The analysis indicates that the proposed development of up to 3,520 homes will give rise to a population of 7,484 people, or an average of 2.13 people per dwelling.

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Unit Size Total

1BF 2BF 3BF 2BH 3BH 4+BH

Market and intermediate housing

1.1 1.2 1.1 1.6 2.2 2.8

Social housing 1.2 1.6 1.9 2.2 3.3 3.3

Weighted average (28% SR) 1.12 1.28 1.26 1.72 2.42 2.90

Unit numbers 294 304 60 861 1,240 762 3,520

Population arisings 329 389 76 1,480 3,000 2,210 7,484

Table 4: population arisings at NS&OC

4.5.2 Education Table 5 below shows, on the INS methodology, the child yields and education infrastructure needs arising from the proposals for NS&OC.

Age range Cohorts School type

Child yield per 100 dwellings

No. of children Thresholds

Preferred facility size

Facilities required

3-5 2 Pre-school 8.4 296 60 per nursery 60 per nursery 4.93

5-11 7 Primary 25.4 894 210 per form entry

Two form entries per school

2.13

11-16 5 High 14 493 150 per form entry

1,400 pupils 0.35

16-18 2 Post-16 2.8 99 n/k n/k n/k

Total 50.6 1,781

Table 5: education needs arising from NS&OC

This suggests a need on site for five nursery/pre-school facilities, and two two-form entry primary schools (or fewer, larger facilities), plus a significant arising of secondary school-age children. Accordingly, and following pre-application discussions with officers of the Local Education Authority, the application masterplan incorporates two proposed two-form entry primary school sites:

• a central site just off the Main Square. In a highly accessible location close to complementary facilities, this site invites an ‘urban’ school design solution for a compact site, making use of the proximity of Beeston Park for both learning and additional recreational activities. The site is 2.03 hectares in size; and

• a more open 2.09ha site in the western part of the scheme near Old Catton.

The locations of the two sites mean that every home will be within a walking distance of a primary school via walking routes of safe, overlooked, pedestrian-friendly streets. The high levels of accessibility are expected to enable and underpin radical sustainable school travel plans for these schools, as part of a wider fit with the Norfolk education vision.

It is expected that some pre-school facilities will be co-located with these schools (on-site or adjacent), and that other pre-school facilities (plus any private nursery provision) will be distributed in accessible locations across the development in accordance with the parameters.

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Pre-application discussions have indicated that the preferred location for the development of a new secondary school is at Rackheath. Bus services will therefore be provided to transport pupils to secondary school provision.

4.5.3 Health Table 6 below shows, on the INS methodology, the health infrastructure needs arising from the proposals for NS&OC.

Type People per unit Units required

GP 1,800 4.16

Dentist 2,000 3.74

Acute bed 664 11.27

Geriatric bed 361 20.73

Maternity bed 7,325 1.02

Mental illness bed 2,150 3.48

Learning difficulty bed 12,397 0.60

Table 6: health needs arising from NS&OC

Of these demands, it is expected that only GP and dentist arisings would be met on-site, with the data suggesting approximately four GPs and dentists each. No specification for accommodation has been provided, and the applicants recognise that the commissioning and provision of health services is currently undergoing significant change; however, pre-application discussions with the Norfolk Estates Forum indicated a clear preference that any healthcare facilities be accommodated in adaptable, potentially multi-use buildings that could be acquired or leased rather than in purpose-built or free-standing buildings or sites which would reduce flexibility and integration. Therefore the assumption for the purpose of the application is that any health facilities will be provided on or close to the Main Square (and other local/neighbourhood centres as required) within the general form of the development, with specific space, access and design needs to be addressed through detailed design.

4.5.4 Community Table 7 below shows, on the INS methodology, the community infrastructure needs arising from the proposals for NS&OC.

Type Requirement per 1,000 people Thresholds Facilities required

Swimming pool lane 0.187 Min 4 lanes 1.40

Sports hall courts 0.279 Min 2 courts 2.09

Community space (m2) 61 Min 300m2 456m2

Library space (m2) 26.5 Min 300m2 if standalone 198m2

Table 7: Community infrastructure needs arising from NS&OC

Taking each of the categories in turn:

• There is no proposed on-site swimming pool or sports hall provision. This reflects the suggestion in the INS, partly confirmed in pre-application discussions with Sport England and other stakeholders, that such facilities are likely to be optimally located with a new secondary school. However, should on-site

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provision of sports hall courts (which the data indicates NS&OC could justify in its own right) be desirable, suitable sites adjacent to proposed playing fields can be made available.

• Stakeholder and public consultation revealed a widespread desire for better community hall spaces for existing as well as new residents. The parameters therefore allow for the development of two community halls, one on the Main Square and the other at Church Lane South where accessibility to existing Sprowston residents is greatest.

• The applicants would wish to see a library, internet and information centre located on site and propose that this could be accommodated within the proposed ‘enterprise hub’ on the Main Square.

4.5.5 Other public and community provision The INS also highlights the potential need for new facilities for the police and fire services. The level of development at NS&OC suggests there could be justification for a new police station / Safer Neighbourhoods Team on-site; if so, this could be located either on the Main Square or, if ready access to the highway network is required, Wroxham Road Square.

Pre-application discussions have been held with the Norwich Archdiocese and other Anglican groups regarding faith provision. Development at NS&OC has the potential to bolster congregations at existing churches, especially St Mary’s and St Margaret’s to the south of the site; and this, rather than the provision of new places of worship on site (particularly ‘multi-faith’ provision), is seen as the main priority. However, there could be demand for a facility such as a parish office and meeting space, located centrally, and/or a new vicarage, within the development, and this has been allowed for in the parameters. The applicants will seek to facilitate this at detailed design stage.

4.6 Opening hours

Unless agreed otherwise, by the Local Authority following the normal consent processes, the normal opening hours for non-residential activities will be as in Table 8 below.

Use Opening Hours A1 Shops – convenience 0800-2200, Monday to Saturday

0900-1700, Sunday (or as regulated)

A1 Shops – comparison 0800-1800, Monday-Friday

1000-170o, Sunday (or as regulated)

A2 – Financial and professional services 0800-1800, Monday to Saturday

A3 – Restaurants and cafes 0800-2200, Monday to Saturday

0900-2100, Sunday

A4 – Drinking establishments 1200-2300, Monday to Saturday

1200-2200, Sunday

A5 – Take-away food establishments 1200-2200

B1 – Employment 0800-1800

C1 – Hotel/guesthouse 24 hours

D1 – Community uses 0700-2200

Table 8: opening hours at NS&OC

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4.7 Phasing

The phasing plan for NS&OC, which is described in the Delivery and Management Statement, provides for a significant scale of non-residential, mixed-use development to be delivered relatively early on. It is recognised that poor levels of local services in the early stages of development, often lingering for some time, are among the key failings identified with many large scale new developments (see for example “Lessons from Cambourne”); often owing to a mix of bad design and an unwillingness on the part of developers (and sometime public service providers) to accept that such uses will often entail subsidy to bridge the period between when they are first needed and when the residential population becomes large enough to sustain them independently. At NS&OC a key aim is to establish a basic level of activity in and around the Main Square early on, and this is seen as critical to the credibility and marketability of NS&OC in the short term, as well as its longer-term success as a place. Beyond Green’s model therefore not only allows but requires an acceptance that there may be some sunk costs in early phases in order to get mixed-use up and running.

4.7.1 ‘Zones of change’ The quantums of employment and retail space applied for reflect a cautious assessment of potential demand and the avoidance of any unwelcome impacts on existing centres (see Town Centre Uses impact assessment). However, at less than 10% of the total gross floor area, it is important to recognise that these levels imply a significantly lower level of non-residential uses than would typically found in a bustling, successful town; and, if the overall aims of the development are achieved, may be insufficient to meet demand. This would be evident if, for example, rental yields on commercial property were to fall, or there was a shortage of restaurant seating capacity at busy times.

It is therefore proposed that the central parts of the Main Square and Wroxham Road Square areas be designated as ‘zones of change’ in which there is a recognition from the outset that incremental changes of use from residential to commercial uses, especially at ground-floor level, may be necessary and desirable to the long-term success of NS&OC. Although changes of use will be applied for in the usual way, and will need to be assessed against a range of factors, it is proposed that the normal policy presumption against loss of residential use is waived in the locations shown on the Key Features Plan as being potential locations for mixed uses.

4.7.2 Temporary land-uses The phasing of the development has taken account of the desirability of enabling land to be developed in later phases currently in agricultural use to continue to be farmed for as long as possible. However, it is recognised that some areas of land will become unviable for farming before they are scheduled to be developed. Detailed applications will identify these land blocks and a strategy for temporary uses will be developed in consultation with the community and stakeholders for each development phase. Potential temporary uses could include alternative forms of agricultural and horticultural use, tree nurseries for the development, topsoil storage, art installations, and leisure uses such as campsites. Temporary uses are also discussed in the Green Infrastructure Statement.

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