King's Lynn planning hot-potato due to be decided this week
One of Lynn's current most controversial planning applications comes before West Norfolk Council planners on Wednesday.
The recommendation from officers for the planning application, made by the council itself, is for approval, despite strong objections from local residents and groups
Today members of the planning committee are staging a series of site visits to the proposed site of the Parkway development in Gaywood, close to the Howard Junior School.
The application is for 379 new homes, incorporating a new vehicular bridge over the sand line.
The development will comprise of 1 and 2 bedroom flats and 2, 3 and 4 bedroom houses, of which 15 per cent will be available for affordable rent. The remaining properties will be split between private rental and market sale. All properties on this site will have air source heat pumps and further green initiatives are currently being considered as well.
The borough say the development would provide 57 affordable and 322 market homes alongside substantial areas of green infrastructure (with proposed on and off-site biodiversity enhancements), improvement of existing footpaths and cycleways, a new vehicular bridge, relocation of a Multi-Use Games Area (MUGA) and an equipped play area.
The Environment Agency, Natural England, King's Lynn Drainage Board and Highways are among those who have made no objection to the plans.
But the agenda for Wednesday's meeting says that King's Lynn Civic Society objects over the loss of trees and habitat and its road layout.
Over 228 letters of objection have been received in relation to the proposed development along with a petition against it signed by 1,510 people.
On Friday an art installation protest took place at The Rookery on the site. Jenny Walker, a campaigner against the scheme, said the protest was intended to focus on Norfolk Wildlife Trust’s recommendation that the woodland, reed-bed and scrubland, which they describe as a mosaic of habitats, could become an urban nature reserve".
The 18 members of the planning committee went in four socially-distanced groups to the site today to view it.
One of them, Tom Ryves, Independent member for Methwold, said he had serious issues with the public scrutiny of a scheme for the council's own development.
He said: "To date over £3.2 million of public money has been spent without a viability report."
