Good news for those who are still working on their responses to the GNLP. The deadline for getting your response in is now 5pm on Monday 22 March 2021.
Yare Valley Society declares GNLP unsound
The Yare Valley Society is objecting to the GNLP on the grounds of the Plan being unsound in respect of two of its policies:
Policy GNLP0133DR: Land between Suffolk Walk and Bluebell Road
Policy GNLP0133-E: Land at the UEA Grounds Depot Site, Bluebell Road University of East Anglia.
See Consultations page for more details.
Next Phase of Local Plan Consultations
The Greater Norwich Local Plan will go forward for a six week Regulation 19 publication period, which will start at 09.00 on Monday 1 February 2021 and close at 17.00 on Monday 15 March 2021. No representations will be accepted outside of this period. See Consultations.
Widespread opposition to Government White Paper Proposals
A big thank you to all who responded to the Yare Valley Society call to respond to the Government’s White Paper “Planning for the Future” Consultation. It was not an easy undertaking. The consultation ended on 29 October.
Another thank you if your added your name to the CPRE (Council for the Preservation of Rural England) petition against some of the key proposals.
The YVS committee saw the government’s proposals as a major attack on local democracy and a threat to the ability of the YVS and its members to safeguard the green space of the Yare Valley in the future.
We are not alone.
On 8th December the CPRE with other campaigners headed to Westminster, to hand in 310,265 signatures calling for the government to stop its “disastrous plans” to change our planning laws.
The CPRE writes:
“We commissioned a poll of MPs and found that over half of Conservative MPs weren’t happy with the proposals – the same proposals that had come from their own party! So it came as no surprise to us to see a fiery debate in the House of Commons where 46 MPs spoke out against the plans – and even more wanted to, but the debate simply ran out of time.
Of these 46 MPs publicly voicing their unhappiness with the suggested changes, a huge 33 were from the Conservative Party – including former Prime Minister Theresa May. The issues that they were raising were just as we’ve been saying for many months: that the plans would lead to building on green spaces near to where people live (the very local green spaces that have been so important to so many of us during the pandemic year); that fewer homes that people could actually afford to live in would be built; and that the chances for people to get involved in shaping the future of where they live would be eroded.
And it’s not just the government’s own MPs who have problems with the plans. Organisations from across the environmental, housing and planning sectors have come together to say a big NO to the existing proposals. We were one of more than 30 groups who sent a letter to the Prime Minister warning of the disastrous impacts on nature and people if he dismantled the planning system.”
YVS will be looking for a positive response from the government to address the concerns raised. If it fails to do so YVS will be asking members to take action again.
Yare Valley Society responds to “Planning for the Future”
The Yare Valley Society response to the consultation on the Government’s White Paper on the future of Planning can now be read on the Consultation Page.
Do not leave it to the Society alone. Please make your personal response to the consultation. More information on how to do this is on the Consultation Page.
Don’t forget to sign the Council for the Protection of Rural England’s (CPRE’s) petition.
CPRE says “Don’t let the government deregulate planning”
Sign the Petition
The Council for the Protection of Rural England is calling on all of us to take action on the Government plans “Planning for the Future”
“The government has devised some new plans that could pose a huge risk to the countryside and the communities living and working within it.
Ministers want to take decision-making powers away from communities and local councils, handing it over to housing developers and central powers in Westminster.
Under these new proposals, our ability to shape the future of where we live – a right communities have had for 70 years – could be lost with the stroke of a pen.”
The Government plans are a serious threat to our ability to protect the Yare Valley from development in the future. The Yare Valley Society Committee urges you to sign the CPRE Petition to be found here.
This is only a tiny step to expressing opposition to the Government’s proposals. Please respond to the current consultation on the proposals. See Consultations for details.
Planning for the Future – Environment Groups see threat to green space
The government plans to sweep away many of our planning controls as part of their “Build Build Build” strategy. Papers for the Consultation are here.
See the Consultations Page for environmental concerns.
Protect our green space by responding to the consultation.
KEEP OUR VALLEY GREEN
Yare Valley Society is saying KEEP OUR VALLEY GREEN in a campaign to promote participation in the latest Local Government consultation on the Greater Norwich Local Plan. The consultation will run from the 29 January to the 16 March 2020. It will be available on line, but you can make a paper response if you wish. A number of CONSULTATION ROADSHOWS will take place. The Yare Valley Society has put up Posters on Noticeboards in the Yare Valley area to ask those who care for the valley to:
Say what you like, say what you don’t like in the
Visit a CONSULTATION ROADSHOW*
Question the intrusion of building development into the Yare Valley Green Space adjacent to Bluebell Road, Norwich. (Site GNLP 0133 – E)
Find information at the GNLP website, and Yare Valley Society comments on the consultation.
Tell your friends.
*Consultation Roadshows local to the Yare Valley are at: Cringleford Willow Centre, Tuesday 4 February 2 – 8 pm Costessey Centre, 13 February 2 – 8 pm Norwich, The Forum, 26 February and 5 March 2 – 8 pm North Wymondham Community Centre, 14 February 2 – 8 pm
For a full list of the roadshows go here.
Greater Norwich Draft Local Plan delayed
You may have been wondering what has happened to the consultations on a new Greater Norwich Local Plan. Many of us put much effort in to responding to the earlier consultation on sites proposed for development. We were seriously concerned about the impact some of the proposed sites would have on wildlife and informal recreation in the Yare Valley. The completion and publication of a draft plan for submission to the next stage of public consultation was scheduled for September to October 2019.
It now seems that there are outstanding issues still to be resolved by the partner authorities: Norwich, Broadland, and South Norfolk district councils. The date now expected for the draft plan public consultation stage is now January – March 2020. You can find more information on the new Greater Norwich Plan here.
Three new threats to the Valley: 14th December Deadline
Greater Norwich Local Plan Consultations
Three new development sites that impact on the Yare Valley Green Space have been added to the list of sites already consulted upon.
The new consultation that includes the three sites will close at 5 pm on Friday 14th December.
YVS ask all concerned about the future of the Valley to respond without delay to the consultation.
To make responding easier, the details for the three sites are collected in a single document to download here.
Please write in to say how important the Yare Valley green space is to you, for informal recreation, for the protection of wildlife, for the well-being of our community, and that you support the policies that seek to protect our green space.
DETAILS OF THE SITES
Open the downloaded document of the sites. Enable editing.
Click on the blue sphere for a map of the site (perhaps press “Ctrl” and Click – “Ctrl” is usually at bottom left on keyboard).
Click on the tiny red pdf symbol to the right of the blue sphere to get details of the site application.
WAYS OF RESPONDING
- Online: Click on the writing pencil. You will be asked to register and/or log in. Proceed as directed to make your comment.
- By email: Email your comments to gnlp@norfolk.gov.uk. Remember to quote the site reference number.
- By letter: Remember to quote the site reference number. Send to GNLP Consultation, County Hall, Martineau Ln, Norwich NR1 2DG
The GNLP team would prefer you use method 1. or 2., but they do not wish anyone to be deterred from responding. For further help on responding ring 01603 306603.
MORE INFORMATION
The GNLP consultation site is at http://www.gnlp.org.uk/.
For more information about Planning Policies relevant to the Valley go to Planning.