Planning Application 21/1524

Morston Road Blakeney

Submission to NNDC

This field in the AONB is in a particularly sensitive part of the Parish of Blakeney being the end-stop to the ribbon of development along the north side of the A149 Coast Road. It is visible from the Norfolk Coast Path, the entire outer Harbour and is outside the building envelope for Blakeney and preserves the remoteness of this beautiful area. It is possibly the only spot along the coast road between Sheringham and Wells-next-the- sea where unbroken views across the marsh to the sea can be seen, although the recent provocative planting of trees across the field by the applicant will eventually block this vista.

With the failure of similar applications to develop this site (the last such application – application PF/20/1109 is at the moment in appeal) it is clear to FNN and others that the aspirations of the applicant in relation to this site go well beyond those described, and this should be taken into account when deciding this application.

Moving to the main details we would refer to the legal advice obtained by FNN in 2016 concerning an earlier application for this site which stated that ‘the application cannot relate to any physical changes to the external appearance of the building and can only relate to the change of use of the building, the land it sits on and the immediately surrounding land’.

Although policy interpretations might have changed over the intervening years it is perfectly clear that the existing barn with cladding to the roof and walls of asbestos and a structure composed of a jumble of second hand materials is fundamentally unsound and certainly not capable of re-use as a building in any form. 
The legal advice received went on to say that the application ‘can only incorporate as curtilage, land which is shown to be closely associated with and serving the purposes of that building up to an area equivalent to the footprint of the building’.

The site plan outlined in red attached to this application now extends to the area of the whole field which goes far beyond the curtilage of the building. 
The wish of the applicant to convert the field into chalk grassland ‘like Warham Camp and Cockthorpe Common’ is purely fanciful and would entail massive earth movements to expose the underlying chalk, creating additional physical hazards and alterations to the landscape.

With the obvious harm that would be caused to the AONB and contravention of Policies EN1, EN2, SS1, SS2, H09 and North Norfolk Landscape Character FNN strongly object to this application.

The aims of the FNN are to raise awareness to help protect, preserve and enhance the very special landscape character and the cultural, built and natural heritage of the North Norfolk Coast. To work with other authorities, organisations and agencies to ensure that these invaluable assets are retained for future generations.