Recently merged £900m-turnover provider says it is “not going anywhere’ as it submits appeal to planning inspectorate after Breckland Council rejects plan
Bromford Flagship LiveWest (BFL) has lodged an appeal against a decision by a Norfolk council to reject its plan to overhaul and expand a 1960s housing estate.
Breckland Council planning committee members last October went against the advice of officers and rejected proposals to regenerate the Abbey Estate in Thetford. The plan would see homes upgraded at the 1,100-home estate. A total of 551 homes would be demolished and replaced and up to 500 additional homes built.
Minutes from the October meeting said that even though the committee accepted the scheme complied with the local authority’s development plan, members felt the development would cause “ongoing unacceptable uncertainty” for residents affecting mental health and wellbeing. The refusal was made on the grounds of Article 8 of the Human Rights Act 1998 and the Public Sector Equality Duty.
In a statement today, BFL said the layout of the estate has “contributed to isolated pockets that make it harder for communities to connect and easier for anti-social behaviour to take hold” and the neighbourhood faces ongoing challenges including fly-tipping and high deprivation. The estate was built to Radburn principles, featuring arterial roads with houses built around cul-de-sacs facing each other.
BFL believes its proposed scheme, unlike the existing estate, would be “properly connected to the town centre, the river and the forest, with green spaces people want to spend time in”
James Payne, director of regeneration at BFL, said: “We respect Breckland Council’s decision and recognise that views on the proposals are strongly held. However, we believe there are grounds to appeal and that it is right to challenge the decision.
“People at the Abbey have been telling us for years that the estate needs long-term investment. We have a responsibility to them, and to the families who’ll live here in decades to come, to make sure we try to deliver that. We want to ensure the Abbey remains a place where people can thrive for the long term.”
BFL also today responded to other concerns raised at the planning committee meeting in October. It said BFL is not seeking a compulsory purchase order and would only use it as a last resort. It said homeowners could receive a like-for-like replacement home on the Abbey at no cost, or sell at fair market value plus statutory compensation.
It responded to concerns about whether there would be enough parking by stating that its illustrative masterplan has 1.55 spaces per dwelling, more than the current provision. It also said that while green space would be reduced, the quality would be improved. It said: “The current green spaces are underused, and there are only two designated play areas. We want to increase that to 17, and create a new Neighbourhood Park. We think the qualitative improvements would compensate for the quantitative loss.”
The application received 193 objections through Breckland District Council’s planning portal and from Thetford Town Council.
The plan was originally submitted by Flagship before its merger with Bromford and Flagship in January. The masterplan architect on the scheme is Levitt Bernstein.
No comments yet