Description
The site is located at the junction of Drayton Road and Havers Road and is 2.25 hectares in size.
The site comprises industrial units, predominantly warehouses (Class B8), and a car wash. It is adjacent to a newly developed residential area to the west and the Drayton Road employment area to the east. The Dolphin Path, a strategic pedestrian / cycle route, forms the eastern boundary of the site.
The area surrounding the site consists mainly of housing to the north of Drayton Road and a variety of industrial and other businesses to the south, including retail warehouses and car sales. On Havers Road residential development has replaced industrial uses in the past decade. There is open space, part of the Wensum valley, to the south of the site, including the Railway Path pedestrian / cycle route.
Explanatory text
This site is part of an employment allocation in the Replacement local plan (adopted 2004). However, it is poorly integrated with the rest of the employment area and in recent years the area has become increasingly dominated by the housing development. Re-allocation of the site as housing land reflects these recent changes and will provide homes, including affordable housing, in an accessible location close to the Drayton Road bus rapid transit corridor.
Re-allocation also provides the opportunity to improve the currently unattractive strategic Dolphin Path pedestrian and cycle link. This link is part of the orange route of the strategic cycle network, linking the south and north of the city. It is also an important access to the Railway Path, part of National Cycle Route 1. This route provides excellent access to both the city centre and to the open countryside via the Wensum valley. The Wensum Valley is identified in JCS policy 1 as a sub-regional green infrastructure corridor.
Development is therefore required both to improve the Dolphin Path itself and to be designed to create an active frontage to the path, to provide surveillance and improve its setting, enabling the path to better fulfil its strategic function. It should also create a buffer between the new residential development and the neighbouring employment area. Landscape enhancement will be required through the site and assessment and protection of trees (especially along southern boundary and the road) will be required.
The developer will be required to demolish existing on-site buildings and assess and remediate possible contamination resulting from former industrial uses.
The site is partially in Flood Zone 2 and is over 1 hectare in size. Therefore a flood risk assessment is required for this site and appropriate mitigation measures must be provided as part of the development.
Deliverability
The site is in multiple ownerships. However, the majority of the site is actively being promoted for development and it is likely the remainder will come forward for development during the plan period.
POLICY R35: Land at Havers Road – housing development
The site at Havers Road (2.25 hectares) is allocated for housing development. In the region of 100 dwellings will be provided.
The development will:
- integrate the Dolphin Path into its design to improve the setting of the strategic pedestrian/cycle route and make it a more attractive link;
- provide a buffer between new housing and neighbouring employment uses;
- make landscape and ecology enhancements;
- assessment and protect on-site trees.
