A major programme delivering around 1,000 new homes has been praised for also bringing new roads, nature reserves and sports pitches to West Norfolk.
West Norfolk Council has spearheaded a number of large-scale housing developments in the past few years, and a recent tour of the sites highlighted the impact they are already having.
Councillors, officers and key figures from developer Lovell took a look around the homes – many of which are complete, and some of which are still under construction.
Some of the biggest include a 130-home development at Orchard Place in the north of Lynn, Florence Fields in Gaywood which has 226 houses, and Nar Valley Park in South Lynn which has 105 properties.
The tour heard that the borough council’s corporate projects team aims to achieve more than simply building these homes – it wants to create “cohesive communities”.
This has led to the sites being nominated for numerous awards over the years – and there is a belief that they will leave “some legacy”.
Speaking during the tour, Cllr Alistair Beales, leader of the borough council, said: “This programme had a number of objectives at the outset, and foremost was the desire to deliver high-quality social and affordable housing along with proper infrastructure like new roads and sports facilities, for the benefit of our residents.
“I know that some people would prefer it if no new homes were built, but not only does every assessment of housing need show that it is necessary, but we are also given targets by the Government who can impose development if too few homes are built in West Norfolk.
“By taking control and being proactive in our approach we have avoided imposed solutions and we have also delivered so much more than just housing.
“We have been able to deliver built-in sustainability by bringing forward homes on sites that private developers would have avoided, for example Florence Fields in Gaywood.
“Its design, and location close to town and other amenities, means that it is our most sustainable development to date.”
Completed developments so far include:
• Cowper Place – 54 two and three-bedroom homes on Lynnsport Way, named after local poet Tony Cowper
• Dewside – 89 properties along Greenpark Avenue, named because of its proximity to waterways and lakes at Lynnsport
• Salters Road – Freebridge Community Housing has acquired all 78 homes from the borough council; a small amount of work is required to fully complete the site
• Nar Valley Park – 105 two and three-bedroom homes in South Lynn
• Orchard Place – 130 homes between North Lynn and South Wootton
• Styleman Court – 32 apartments on Southend Road in Hunstanton
Ongoing developments include Valentine Park in North Lynn (96 homes) and Florence Fields in Gaywood (226 homes).
The council considers Florence Fields to be the “most sustainable housing scheme in West Norfolk”.
Twenty-four of the homes will be available for affordable rent, and there is an estimated £46million gross development value.
It also features 100 bee bricks, which provide a vital habitat for non-swarming solitary bees.
The tour also heard that the Hunstanton flats have a £9million gross development value and include four affordable units.
Cllr Beales said: “By building at scale – this programme totals around 1,000 homes – we have been able to deliver infrastructure benefits such as the new road to Lynnsport, a 12-acre nature reserve, new tennis courts and hockey pitches and improvements to cycle paths, footways and drainage systems.
“We have also worked with local residents and community organisations to ensure new residents have a good knowledge of their new neighbourhood and feel part of it. When the last brick has been laid, we leave behind communities, not just houses.
“I can remember the day the first family moved in to one of our new homes – a local family who never imagined they would be able to afford to buy in their area. It was a proud and emotional moment and the culmination of everything we had set out to achieve.
“There have been many more moments like that as more and more people have moved into the homes we have built. When considered alongside the other improvements we have been able to include, we can genuinely say that what we have left behind is better than what was there before.”
School visits have formed a key part of the community engagement the schemes bring.
Recently, the site team at Florence Fields hosted Year 9 students from Springwood High School, Year 9 and 10 youngsters from King’s Lynn Academy, the Boost team – which supports young people with opportunities for jobs and improved skills – and Year 10 work experience placements.
Meanwhile, pupils from Gaywood’s Howard Junior School helped design the new play park adjacent to the homes.
Cllr Beales concluded: “As we prepare for the curtain to come down on our borough in its current form due to local government reorganisation, I can’t help feeling that this programme is quite some legacy to leave for the new authority.
“A legacy of which I think we can all be rightly proud.”
