Concerns over homes plan
The views of all North Walsham residents are important, and it is right to hear them.
However, concerns about 2,000 houses being built in the area must be debated alongside weighing up the benefits this development could bring.
Investment in the infrastructure of North Walsham is key, and coupled with the right planning, more housing could help the continuation of the renewal and regeneration programme that we want to see in North Walsham so that it is one of the best places to live in north Norfolk.
Young families who wish to settle here and contribute to the town's success will help take the town into the future.
There is so much to be proud of in North Walsham from the united community effort that achieved maximum funding in the recent MTI project, to the brilliant young people we've met through the North Walsham High School mentoring programme, and the great community spirit you see for example in North Walsham's Arts and Drama.
Your local Conservative councillors believe in the right balance of housing choices too, so of course we need more affordable housing, a vital factor in any development.
It is right to want to keep our local towns as pleasant as can be. That means aiming for ways to encourage people to cycle or walk safely into town, and it means sympathetic landscaping, and greenery as part of any new development.
Many people worry that there isn't enough housing, and that our young families can't get on the housing ladder, and yet when the prospect of houses being built becomes a reality, it creates a lot of anxiety.
We understand this, but careful planning, appropriate mixes of affordable houses and securing good benefits from developers for the whole community can enhance a town if delivered in the right way.
Encouraging the town to grow will drive its economy and help local businesses to grow and thrive as more people shop locally creating greater range and choice of goods and services in the town. We all want happy and successful communities, and we will do all we can to achieve just that.
DUNCAN BAKER
Conservative prospective parliamentary candidate and FIONA TURNER, deputy Chairman, North Norfolk Conservative Association
Grammar School Road
North Walsham
-What do you think? To share your view on this issue and others, write to nnn.letters@archant.co.uk
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