A planning appeal which was submitted following the refusal of outline planning permission for a 300 home scheme on the edge of Norwich by Broadland District Council has been met with further delays.
The proposal has seen criticism due to the removal of a ‘treasured’ woodland at the Racecourse Plantation, part of Thorpe Woods. The hearing was heard last May and lasted for one week. However, the decision has been pushed back until Wednesday the 30 January.
The appeal was lodged with the Planning Inspectorate in June 2017 by London-based developer Socially Conscious Capital (SCC) for the site in Thorpe St Andrews, but a decision has now been delayed once again following an earlier delay announced in September 2017. It was hoped a decision would have been made sooner.
A spokesman for the Planning Inspectorate said “We are really sorry for the delay in deciding this appeal. Parties to the appeal were informed that unfortunately, due to illness, it had not been possible for the inspector to complete the appeal decision within the previous anticipated timescale”.
In addition to 300 homes, SCC said that a new 150-acre community woodland park would be created and improvements made to a local footpath. They also received 70 letters of support, but campaign group Friends of Thorpe Woodlands has opposed the scheme, stating the land should remain untouched.
Jason Beckett, spokesman for Friends of Thorpe Woodlands said “Nobody wants this to go ahead apart from the trust and that has been made clear over the past six years.”
11 December 2019