Attleborough

Project type:	Settlement Extension
Location:	Attleborough, UK
Client:	Attleborough Land (part of Ptarmigan Land
Stage:	Outline Planning Consent

In March 2019, Breckland District Council's planning Committee voted unanimously to approve the resolution to grant planning permission for the Attleborough Sustainable Urban Extension (SUE).

“

Attleborough is earmarked for significant growth and [these proposals] will create houses, jobs and opportunities for our existing and new residents.

Cllr Gordon Bambridge, Breckland Council’s Executive Member for Growth

Three new neighbourhoods, connected by a linear park, will create a sustainable extension to Attleborough and enhance the vitality of the town centre. At the heart of each new neighbourhood and within walking distance of all homes there will be a cluster of local facilities designed to minimise the need for car use.

The park will provide a variety of interconnected green spaces including informal recreational routes, parkland, wetland and woodland habitats, natural play areas, allotments and sports pitches. A new link road will avoid the need for through-traffic to pass through the town centre and provide access to the new neighbourhoods.

A Collaborative Placemaking process shaped the Vision from the outset, beginning with a Community Planning Weekend where over 400 local people participated in discussion workshops, walkabouts and hands-on planning groups, which explored site-specific issues and defined principles for sustainable growth. JTP then worked closely with the Attleborough Development Partnership, the Town Council and the Neighbourhood Plan team to ensure the aspirations of local people were reflected in the more detailed plans.

Key benefits for Attleborough include:

4,000 new homes to suit different family sizes and incomes
A strategic link road designed to reduce traffic in the town centre
A new 30-minute bus service connecting the development to the town centre and train station
Improved pedestrian and cycle links to the town centre including a new footbridge over the railway line
Two x 2 Form Entry Primary Schools (with land safeguarded for future expansion to 3 Forms of Entry) and contributions to Secondary Education
A new Local Centre with 4,000 sqm of space for shops, cafes, a pub and small offices - all providing local employment opportunities
Two smaller Neighbourhood Centres with shops and community facilities
A 2,100 sq m Community Centre
Around 90 ha of publicly accessible recreational open space