Homes planned close to bottleneck Broads bridge

Plans to build 238 homes in a village have sparked fears it will create further traffic problems at a bottleneck bridge.

FW Properties has applied to North Norfolk District Council build the properties in Hoveton, on land off Tunstead Road and Stalham Road.

They could be built on farmland to the north of Wroxham Bridge, which regularly sees traffic backed up, causing queues that can stretch back miles.

Nigel Dixon, Conservative district councillor for Hoveton, said the traffic was a "major problem" for the area but acknowledged that the development could help create much-needed housing for families.

He added: "It is a very critical congestion route. You can get build up in both directions at almost any time of the year... it is getting worse."

The application seeks outline permission for the homes as well as a new pumping station, which will serve as an extension to the existing Brook Park estate.

Specialist accommodation for the elderly could also be built on the plot, but plans had yet to be lodged.

In papers submitted to North Norfolk District Council, an agent for the developer said the site "represents a logical extension to the settlement and provides an opportunity to deliver new homes alongside significant green infrastructure, public open space and enhanced active travel connections."

Norfolk County Council's highways department is yet to publish its view of the scheme.

However, residents are objecting to the plans.

One villager described traffic jams through Wroxham and Hoveton as "continuous" and called for a pause on housing plans unless a bypass was built.

Dixon said there was "no prospect" of a relief road, with attempts in the 1980s to build one failing.

He said he believed measures to change access to Church Road could help with the flow, as people wanting to turn off often held up traffic.

He added that other concerns could be addressed as the application progressed.

"It's all about making sure that the development is of the right quality and strikes the right balances so that it integrates into the village in a way that harmonises what we already have and is in keeping with what we already have," he said.

People have until 13 October to submit their views on the housing to the council via its website.

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