3.14
Costessey has one of the largest populations in South Norfolk, having seen significant amounts of development in recent years, and includes one of Greater Norwich’s strategic employment locations at Longwater. Costessey is identified as an urban fringe parish under policy 7.1 and includes a number of distinct areas. The valley of the River Tud divides Old Costessey and Queens Hills from New Costessey, helping maintain the separate identities of these settlements. Old Costessey has a strong historic character with Conservation Areas covering key areas and features. Narrow streets and historic buildings edging the road limit the potential to accommodate extra traffic.
3.15
To the north the River Wensum is a designated Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and contains a number of Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and County Wildlife Sites (CWS). Areas of tree belt characterise the landscape and notable parcels of woodland within the settlement limits are protected as Important Spaces through Development Management policies. Continued suburbanisation is a potential threat to the character of these valleys. There is a wide range of local services within the parish, including three primary schools and a secondary school. Public transport, via the Dereham Road, means a 25-50 minute journey time into Norwich City Centre.
3.16
There are no sites allocated for development in this plan. However, there is one site identified as a contingency for 800 new homes. Release of this site as an allocation depends on a “trigger point” detailed in this plan. There are no carried forward allocations but a total of 529 additional dwellings with planning permission on small sites and existing allocations. This gives a total deliverable housing commitment for Costessey of 529 homes between 2018 – 2038.
3.17
All allocations are expected to address standard requirements associated with development. These vary from place to place, but are likely to include mitigations for flood risk (as well as SUDs), highways improvements, safeguarding of minerals resources, land remediation, measures to protect the environment, biodiversity, and landscape intrusion.
Policy Map
