Attleborough set to evolve with JTP’s proposals for a sustainable extension

Published on 21 August 2017

Outline proposals for a Sustainable Urban Extension (SUE) to Attleborough, Norfolk, have been submitted to Breckland Council.

JTP’s proposals will deliver 4,000 new homes set amongst three distinct neighbourhoods, separated by green swathes of open space and connected by a linear park featuring allotments, play areas, wetlands and foot and cycle paths. Each neighbourhood will be supported by corresponding infrastructure, including two primary schools, two neighbourhood centres, a food store, cultural spaces, sports facilities and employment uses.

The 217 ha site is located immediately south of Attleborough, south Norfolk, close to Attleborough railway station with its links to Norwich, Cambridge, London and the Midlands.

The vibrant market town has a history in the poultry trade, and was historically known as a convenient location to change horses between Norwich and London. Today the town has a strong identity and a close-knit community. The site of the SUE was identified in Breckland Council’s Local Plan in 2014 as a suitable location for strategic growth.

The extension will be delivered in several phases, the first of which will establish a strong sense of arrival at the entrances to the site. The mixed uses and green spaces will be delivered in parcels alongside phases of homes, to ensure the new neighbourhood functions successfully as a place at each stage.

The early delivery of a Link Road between the B1077 and London Road is a critical piece of transport infrastructure required to unlock the planned growth for the town. A new pedestrian bridge is also proposed across the railway, further strengthening connections to the site.

JTP held a series of community planning events with local stakeholders, residents, businesses, young people and other local groups, to draw up a new vision for Attleborough. A Community Planning Weekend was held in February 2010, where workshops and hands-on planning groups unearthed local issues and created design solutions together, ensuring benefits to both the existing residents of Attleborough and the residents of the new extension.

The key themes that emerged were consistent to all sectors of the community; an extension that fully integrates into the existing neighbourhood, rather than exists disparately, with facilities that complement those in Attleborough town centre. The communities were also highly supportive of JTP’s plans to prioritise sustainability within the proposals; through safe foot and cycle paths to protect users from the HGVs and heavy traffic that currently blights the town; measures to ease congestion through improved bus services alongside an integrated public transport hub, and characterful green spaces that provide purpose to encourage active use by all.

The success of the community planning events was illustrated in the subsequent formation of a Town Team to manage aspects of the neighbourhood as it develops.

The decision regarding the planning application will be announced later this year.

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Attleborough,
Attleborough, UK

Settlement Extension
Stage: Outline Planning Consent