Plans emerge for almost 4,000 new homes in village

An artist's impression of the proposed housing for the North Rackheath site

New plans have been lodged for 3,850 homes to be built in a rapidly expanding village.

Taylor Wimpey has submitted a revised outline application for its bid to develop the site north of Green Lane West in Rackheath, Norfolk.

The scheme, which first emerged in 2022, will undergo a new round of public consultation before a decision is made by Broadland District Council.

It is the latest phase in the transformation of the village, which has already seen hundreds of new homes built since the Norwich Northern Distributor Road (NDR) opened to traffic in 2018.

The site, highlighted in red, with Rackheath to the south, Salhouse to the east and Wroxham to the north

If approved, the mixed-use development would be built on a former US airbase, now used as agricultural land, and effectively link Rackheath with the village of Salhouse.

It would include land for two primary schools, one secondary school, orchards, allotments, employment land and sports facilities.

The housing development forms part of the Greater Norwich Local Plan – a blueprint for 45,000 new homes to be built during the next 15 years.

Taylor Wimpey said the scheme was one of the "largest and most exciting projects" it was working on and would be delivered in six phases, building north towards Wroxham.

The firm said it would make "innovative use" of the existing landscape to create the new community.

According to a design and access statement, the firm added North Rackheath, the name given to the project, would be an "attractive and desirable place to live, to work and for recreation".

Land south of Stonehouse Road, looking towards Rackheath, could be built on as part of the 3,850-home project

The scale of the project has proved controversial due to concerns that it will drastically increase traffic in an area already facing congestion.

It has also been held up due to nutrient neutrality rules – restrictions to protect rivers from pollution caused by new developments, reports the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

To mitigate the impact of the new homes, Taylor Wimpey has agreed to purchase nutrient mitigation credits from a county-wide scheme offering ways to offset potential pollution.

This funding could help fund nature projects such as creating wetlands or replacing old septic tanks.