Description
This industrial site is located in the north of the city and is 0.86 hectares in size. There is currently a warehouse on the north-west part of the site. The Aylsham Road Business Park, which includes a number of small business workshop units along with a house is central to the site and a hardstanding used for parking is in the eastern part of the site. The internal access road also provides access to a scrap yard and garages to the east of the allocation site.
The site is surrounded by a mixture of uses. To the east and west, on the opposite side of Aylsham Road, there are mainly two storey terraced houses. The site overlooks the surface car park of a Lidl supermarket to the north-west. Pointers Field open space is to the north-east of the site. There are a number of mature trees along the western and northern boundaries.
Aylsham Road is a busy radial road and with a mixture of business, retail and residential uses. There are local and district centres to the north on Aylsham Road, with uses in the area including shops, a pub, a library and a bingo hall.
Explanatory text
Development presents an opportunity to contribute to the regeneration of the Aylsham Road area through providing housing and employment units in an accessible location close to local services. Replacement small light industrial units will help modernise current business provision. Careful design will be needed to ensure compatibility between residential and commercial development within and adjoining the site.
Pointers Field is a relatively large but underused green space with a lack of natural surveillance. Providing housing fronting Pointers field will help to improve surveillance of the open space and create a safer environment.
A route through Pointers Field to Aylsham Road forms a local link in the cycle network. This development presents the opportunity to improve this route including a pedestrian cycle link between the open space and Aylsham Road as an integral part of the design of the scheme.
Given its location, this site has the potential for strategic impact on the inner and outer ring road, core bus routes and the bus rapid transit routes. Development of the site must facilitate and not prejudice implementation of these key NATS measures. Design of the scheme has to take into account the access requirements of the scrap yard business and adjacent garages.
The development should retain and protect Tree Preservation Order and any other trees on the western and northern boundaries of the site and take into account the noise impact from the main road and commercial uses at the food store and scrap yard.
Development should also take into account possible site contamination.
The site lies within a Critical Drainage Catchment as identified on the Policies map. Therefore development proposals involving new buildings, extensions and additional areas of hard surfacing should ensure that adequate and appropriate consideration has been given to mitigating surface water flooding in accordance with policy DM5.
Deliverability
The site is suitable for and available for development. It is in two separate ownerships and is being actively promoted for development by both owners.
POLICY R22: 165 - 187 Aylsham Road – mixed use development
The site of 0.86 hectares is allocated for mixed use redevelopment to include:
- housing (in the region of 20 dwellings);
- starter/ small business units (B1 light Industrial).
The development will be designed to:
- include a pedestrian and cycling link from Pointers field to Aylsham Road;
- mitigate the impact of noise from the main road and adjacent commercial for future residents;
- provide housing overlooking Pointers Field; and
- create a street frontage to Aylsham Road.
A surface water management assessment should be submitted with any application proposing development in accordance with this allocation. The assessment should show how the proposed development:
a) would not increase the vulnerability of the site, or the wider catchment, to flooding from surface water run-off from existing or predicted water flows, and;
b) would, wherever practicable, have a positive impact on the risk of surface water flooding in the wider area.
