Norfolk Railway Village – opposition to settlement on greenfield site

In 2018 a rushed proposal for a new settlement between Billingford and Bintree was proposed and dismissed.

This was due to the proposals not being consulted on with local communities and because Breckland District Council did not support it.

As expected, the proposal has re-emerged as part of the call for sites process for Breckland’s current Local Plan review.

This time the proposal is for 5,000 new houses, along with employment, retail, leisure and other uses, on a similar large greenfield site in the parish of Billingford.

There are few details with the initial proposal, although it is called the ‘Norfolk Railway Village’, which suggests some attempt to use the Mid Norfolk Railway heritage line as part of its justification.

We believe there is no need for a new settlement, larger than the town of Watton, to be imposed on a greenfield site currently used for agriculture.

The local road network is inadequate to cope with the increased traffic, which would bring unacceptable disruption to local communities. The proposed site borders the highly protected River Wensum, while it partly encircles the precious habitats of Bintree Woods.

There will be an opportunity to comment on this and all the other sites being proposed when Breckland launches a public consultation – probably in early 2023. We’ll keep you posted so watch this space.

In short, this is an unacceptable site for such a proposal.

It is possible to have sustainable growth and protection of the countryside and environment – these are not mutually exclusive.