Reepham High School is also submitting an application for a new sports hall on land to the south of the school and Norfolk County Council Highways has already submitted an application for improvement works to Broomhill Lane, including widening of the road.
 
The developer says approval of the plans would result in funding being given towards the improved sports facilities at the high school.
 
The Broomhill Lane site was allocated for residential development of 120 homes in 2016 under Broadland District Council’s adopted development plan (policy REP1).
 
Of the proposed 141 dwellings outlined in the planning application (no. 20200847), 28 (including flats, houses and wheelchair bungalows) would be social housing (rented and shared ownership), while the remainder comprise 29 four-bedroom, 49 three-bedroom and 35 two-bedroom homes.
 
The plans makes provision for 20% of the residential units to be “affordable housing”. However, this is lower than Broadland District Council’s target of 30% affordable homes out of all housing completions.
 
Pedestrian/bicycle access to the development would be from an existing footpath from Broomhill Lane through to the cemetery and Park Lane, while a further two footpaths on the southwestern side of the development, which provide access to Marriott’s Way, have been proposed. Vehicles will enter via Broomhill Lane on the east of the site.
 
During a public consultation that took place in Reepham on 10 February attended by 159 people, from whom 93 feedback forms were received, the majority of respondents (71%) said they did not agree with the principle of 141 dwellings on the site.
 
The main reasons included concerns about: the existing infrastructure (notably the schools, doctor’s surgery, parking, sewage capacity, drainage, energy supply, public transport and the road network); inappropriate access; overcrowding of the site and excessive density; and not enough affordable housing proposed.
 
Lovell said these concerns along with others have been addressed through design changes and considerations by the architectural designers and engineers.
 
Comments on the plans should be made to Broadland District Council by post, by email or via the Council’s website by 16 May 2020, quoting application number 20200847.
 
It is understood that Reepham Town Council will ask District Cllr Stuart Beadle to “call in” the planning application to Broadland’s Planning Committee given the timing of the plans under the government’s current lockdown due to the coronavirus and the likelihood of residents’ objections.
 
See our earlier stories:

• Lobby group warns of ‘hidden dangers’ with planning application
• Residents’ concerns over improvement of Broomhill Lane
• Broomhill Lane housing plans unveiled