Description
The site is located in the west of the city and is 0.36 hectares in size. The site is currently used for caravan sales and repairs and other small scale businesses.
The site is surrounded by housing to the south, east and west, including terraced houses, flats and a recently completed residential development. Heigham Street is to the north of the site and there is housing, a plant hire business and the historic Gibraltar Gardens pub opposite the site. There is a notable change in levels within the site to the south fronting Dolphin Grove.
Heigham Street is a busy radial road with a mixture of business and residential frontages, including the City Trading Estate employment area further to the east of the site. The Wensum Valley north of Heigham Street is an important environmental asset and connects to the wider green link network.
Explanatory text
Allocation of this site will help deliver housing development in a sustainable location with good public transport close to employment areas and local services, including the Drayton Road district centre.
Design of the development must take into account the need to protect and enhance the setting of the grade II fifteenth century listed Gibraltar Gardens pub building opposite the site. Design must also address the need to minimise noise for future residents from Heigham Street, whilst creating an active street frontage, and providing enhancements with landscape features running through the site and along Heigham Street. Given the prominent location of the site on the road the development needs to address the street frontage, potentially through street tree planting.
The design should also take account of the need to ensure that no habitable rooms overlook the electrical sub-station to the site’s south and the need for a pedestrian and cycle route across the site to link Heigham Street to Dolphin Grove. Means to avoid or minimise any overlooking from the apartments at the elevated position in Dolphin Grove should be considered in the site’s layout. Trees on neighbouring sites must also be protected.
Access arrangements should be reviewed with a view to minimising access points onto Heigham Street and rationalising vehicle access and servicing points. Some vehicle access from Dolphin Grove should be investigated as part of redevelopment of the site, although this should not be considered the only solution, and would need to account for change in levels. The scheme should also allow for the reinstatement of pavements along Heigham Street where access is revised.
As the site is within the Area of Main Archaeological Interest an archaeological assessment is required prior to development. Demolition of existing buildings on site will be necessary. Contamination and flood risk assessments and any necessary mitigation measures will be required.
Deliverability
The land is owned by two different parties, both of whom have indicated that this land will be available for development in the plan period. Therefore the site is suitable and available for development.
POLICY R28: 231-243 Heigham Street – housing development
The site at 231-243 Heigham Street is allocated for housing development. In the region of 25 dwellings will be provided, including a balanced mix of family housing.
The development will:
- provide a pedestrian cycle route across the site to link Heigham Street to Dolphin Grove;
- rationalise access arrangements;
- be designed to mitigate the impact of the neighbouring development and the impact of road noise on residents. A noise assessment will be required; and
- be well landscaped, protecting neighbouring trees and providing street trees on the Heigham Road frontage.
