Whole Settlement Strategy
FAKENHAM
June 2003
NORTH
NORFOLK
DISTRICT COUNCIL
Fakenham Whole Settlement Strategy
INTRODUCTION
This strategy is the product of an extensive public participation exercise carried out in
2001 (details of this are given at the back of this report). The Strategy
outlines:
The roles that the town fulfills - including the perceptions of the nature of the town
and its various functions and services.
The issues that need to be addressed relating to the physical environment, the
community and social life of the town and its economy.
Broad aims for the future development of the town focused on addressing landuse issues.
Objectives that will help to achieve those aims established from the consideration
of various options.
North Norfolk District Council has adopted the Strategy as Council Policy to guide the
future development of Fakenham. It will be followed-up by detailed policies and
proposals in the review of the North Norfolk Local Plan (planning land use and
development up to 2011).
SUMMARY
Fakenham is an active, working, market town. It fulfills an important role in meeting a wide range of
employment, shopping and social needs of people in the town and a wide rural hinterland.
The town has expanded from its historic core, leaving
the commercial centre not actually in the
geographical centre of town. The historic character of
the town centre, however, remains largely intact,
which, combined with the nearby Wensum Valley
provide a pleasant environment. This contributes to
the quality of life of its residents and is a valuable
attraction for visitors and investors.
Fakenham has the capacity to accommodate
significant levels of development in the future, which
would enable a choice of housing, employment,
services and facilities to be sustained. This Strategy
sets the important factors that should be taken into
account in planning that development. In particular
the Strategy suggests that new housing development
should be on ('brownfield') sites within the town and
on the farmland to the north, between the existing
limit and the bypass. It seeks the continued
protection of the Wensum Valley and improvement of
public access to the area. Other aims and objectives
in the Strategy are included to address key issues and
set the framework for future development.
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Fakenham Whole Settlement Strategy
ROLES
Environment
Fakenham’s historic town centre and attractive
surrounding countryside are important assets. They add
to the quality of life of residents of the area and offer an
important opportunity for the town to attract shoppers,
visitors and investors. It is a town with a real sense of its
own identity.
Much new development has taken place, generally to the
east and north of the town, which has not been in
character with the local environment. The river Wensum
and its floodplain has generally prevented development
to the south and west of the town and its coalescence
with Hempton.
Housing
According to the latest estimate Fakenham currently has a
population of just under 8000. It has grown significantly
over the past ten years or so with approximately 600 new
dwellings completed or in the pipeline since 1992.
There is a relatively wide range of house types, tenure and
price available in the town although there is concern that
too many properties are being bought by retired people
and that the needs of younger people on low incomes are
not being met.
Employment
Fakenham has a relatively buoyant economy with low
unemployment. There is serviced employment land
available in the town and at the nearby Tattersett Business
Park for new business ‘start-ups’ or expansion. The
Learning Centre provides a wealth of training
opportunities.
Community Facilities
The town serves as a local service centre to residents of
the town and a wide rural hinterland. It meets the
education, healthcare, social and recreational needs of its
catchment very well. There is some concern, however,
that the town’s population growth has not been matched
by growth in the level of service provision and that the
schools, doctor’s surgeries and sports facilities in
particular have reached their capacity.
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Fakenham Whole Settlement Strategy
Shopping
Fakenham serves as a hub to a wide rural hinterland. It has an
attractive town centre, three supermarkets and a market.
Aldiss furniture store, the weekly market and the monthly
farmers’ market are considered to be significant attractions
and major assets to the town. Despite this and the town’s
apparently strong economy, it is surprising to many people
that it does not have a thriving retail sector. Whilst the dayto-day shopping needs of the population are met, the range
of shops in the town is limited.
Tourism
There are a number of visitor attractions in the Fakenham
area and the town itself has much to offer, including the
racecourse, historic market place, museum and Parish
Church. Fakenham is also bypassed by an important tourist
route to the north Norfolk coast.
Transport
Being quite a distance from other towns and cities, transport
links and parking are crucial to Fakenham. Whilst there are
some shortcomings transport-wise, generally Fakenham is
relatively well-provided in that:
road access from all directions is good;
the bypass removes through-traffic and many heavy
vehicles from the town centre;
the national cycle network passes through the town;
and there are many opportunities for walking.
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Fakenham Whole Settlement Strategy
ISSUES
Environment
A great many changes have been made to enhance the
environment of the town centre; however, parts of it are still
uninviting. The following problems were identified through the
public participation exercise:
“There is very little greenery trees, shrubs, flowers etc.”
”The Market Place is cold and hard, surrounded by bare
walls and mostly unused.”
“Norwich Street is dark and dismal.”
”Oak Street is an untidy entrance way.”
“White Horse Street is an open and untidy expanse of car
parking.”
Protecting the important wildlife habitats and attractive
landscape of the Wensum Valley is very important. It has
potential to provide a major attraction and recreational facility.
The appearance and layout of the town's car parks creates a
poor first impression for visitors.
The entrance ‘gateways’ along the main roads into the town
are unattractive and the town centre is poorly signposted.
The setting to the north of the town along the bypass is
important.
There are now few green areas within the town and limited
public open space, especially in the east of the town.
Employment
Whilst the employment situation in Fakenham appears to be
good, the down side is that low unemployment can lead to
recruitment problems, which deter businesses from expanding
or setting up in the area. Near-full employment also tends to
mask the limited range of jobs, the low wage rates and the
limited opportunity for career progression to higher-paid jobs.
There is the perception that people go to Norwich in search of
better jobs while Fakenham remains a ‘low-wage economy’.
Jobs in tourism, leisure and retail should follow if the town
becomes a more attractive retail and tourist centre.
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Fakenham Whole Settlement Strategy
Housing
Under the current planning strategy approximately 300
houses will need to be provided in Fakenham between 2006
and 2011. Some of this can go on land within the town that
has been previously developed (’brownfield’ land) but a
large amount may need to be developed on ‘greenfield’
land beyond the current town boundary.
Community Facilities
There are generally too few facilities for young people in the
town and it is a long way for them to travel to other towns. A
survey of young people carried out in Fakenham by ‘The
Ekklesia Project’ in 2001 found that what most young
people wanted was a sports centre/swimming-pool. There
is a proposal to develop a multi-use sports centre on a site
to the north of the High School, with Lottery funding.
The next most popular hope in the survey was for a
‘skate/BMX park’, while workshop participants cited
problems caused by skateboarders in the town centre.
There is a need for a ‘terrain park’ - where young people can
skate, ride bikes and just ‘hang out’ - to be developed to the
east of the Millenium Park, where the old tennis courts are
situated.
There is great potential for opening up the area to the south
of the town, in the floodplain of the River Wensum, as a
place for informal recreation in the form of a ‘country park’.
This could involve making a circular walkway by bridging the
Wensum at the point of the old railway bridge.
Major new housing development should only take place if
improvements to community facilities are made.
Shopping
Fakenham’s shops provide a wide variety of goods and a
friendly personal service and are considered to be crucial to
the success of the town centre as a whole.
Generally it is felt that the town centre is rarely busy, either
in the daytime or in the evening, that there are too many
cafes and that the central market place, for most of the
week, is not used.
There were specific concerns, expressed in the public
participation exercise, that parking restrictions and traffic
management measures deter short-stay ‘top-up’
shoppers.
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Fakenham Whole Settlement Strategy
Tourism
It is considered that attracting more visitors to the town
would boost the local economy and encourage
investment that would benefit local people. The town
does not tap into this tourism market as much as it could.
It was felt that many passing motorists do not stop in the
town because they do not realise what it has to offer. The
town centre, as well as the attractions, should be clearly
signposted from the bypass.
The facilities and attractions within and around the town
are poorly linked (by pedestrian/cycle routes, signposting
and publicity). Racecourse visitors, for example, do not
tend to use the town centre.
The recreational cycleways and footpaths in the area offer
great potential.
Employment
Unusually, the town has developed in a triangle with its
‘centre’ in one corner, main employment areas and
supermarket in another and the High School and sports
facilities in the other. It is important, therefore, to ensure
good circulation around the town by all modes of
transport.
The traffic management measures in the town centre
deter visitors from stopping there.
The car park on Highfield Road, opposite the Sixth Form, is
unsightly and in a very poor condition. It is, however,
convenient for visitors coming from the west of the town,
especially on market days.
Accessibility around the town centre is poor for those who
are less mobile.
With much of the old railway routes intact there is
potential for the Mid-Norfolk Railway to connect the town
to Norwich via Dereham.
The town is a service and employment centre for a large
number of villages and thus transport links between them
are important.
Many of the villages around Fakenham are within easy
cycling distance of the town, however, the routes are
often dangerous, particularly those using the A148.
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Fakenham Whole Settlement Strategy
AIMS
Environment
To conserve the historic character of the
town, improve its attractiveness as a
shopping centre and visitor attraction and
ensure that new development reflects
distinctive local qualities.
To protect, manage and restore wildlife
habitats, conserve and enhance the
landscape setting of the town and protect
‘green’ areas within the town.
Shopping
To make Fakenham the preferred shopping
destination for people in the town and its
hinterland.
To attract more people into the town centre
and consequently improve its vitality and the
range of shops on offer.
Tourism
To encourage more visitors to the town.
Housing
To maintain a balanced population in the
town by ensuring that sufficient land is
available in suitable locations for the
development of a mix of housing types to
meet the needs of the town up to 2011, and
further residential expansion beyond 2011.
To ensure that major new housing
development only takes place if
accompanied by improvements in the
provision of health, education and other
community facilities and that it is designed
and laid out so as to integrate with the town
as a whole.
Transport
To ensure that the town’s transport
infrastructure (including car parks) is safe,
convenient and attractive and can meet the
needs of residents of the town and its
hinterland, businesses, employees,
shoppers and visitors by all modes of
transport.
Employment
To retain employment, raise employees'
aspirations, provide more highly-skilled and
better-paid jobs and better employment
opportunities for young people.
Community Facilities
To maintain the range and quality of
community and recreational facilities in the
town and ensure that any new residential
development is matched by
improvements in the level of facilities
provided.
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Fakenham Whole Settlement Strategy
OBJECTIVES
Environment
Continue to seek opportunities to improve the
appearance of the town centre, particularly
through the introduction of greenery.
Protect the important wildlife habitats and
attractive landscape of the Wensum Valley
and seek to open it up as more of a feature,
with riverside walks, in the form of a ‘Country
Park’.
The town’s car parks should be more clearly
laid-out, landscaped and generally
enhanced.
Enhance the appearance of the entrance
‘gateways’ along the main roads into the
town.
Protect the setting to the north of the town
by creating a landscaped buffer along the
bypass.
Protect and enhance the green areas within
the town and seek to introduce a new area
of public open space in the residential area
to the east of the town.
Housing
Type
To meet labour shortages, provide a
balanced population and avoid polarisation,
all major developments should contain a mix
of house types, tenure and price and must
include smaller (two-bedroom) units and
‘affordable’ housing.
Location
Make maximum use of brownfield sites
within the town.
Make efficient use of car parks and improve
their appearance by developing housing
along their frontages, like, for example, that
at the roundabout on Bridge Street.
Carefully plan any expansion on the land
situated between the bypass and the town
boundary to the north.
Prohibit any new development beyond the
southern boundary of the town.
Ensure new housing development is well
related to community facilities.
Design and Layout
Provide adequate gardens and communal
play areas.
Design estates so as to limit the
opportunities for crime.
Ensure the provision of safe, convenient and
attractive pedestrian and cycle routes
connecting new housing estates with
schools, community facilities and
recreational areas.
Respect local features and reflect traditional
local styles in the design and layout of new
schemes.
Ensure there is a landscaped ‘buffer’ between
the edge of any new development and the
bypass.
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Fakenham Whole Settlement Strategy
OBJECTIVES (cont)
Employment
Encourage the establishment of a diverse
economy with a range of job opportunities by:
suitable opportunities for the
- exploiting
development of tourism attractions and
visitor accommodation; and
and expanding employment in
- maintaining
the retail sector by protecting and
expanding shopping in the town centre.
Focus new employment development on the
town itself but accommodate that which could
be considered inappropriate to the
environment of Fakenham at Tattersett
Business Park.
Ensure that the town’s industrial estates are
attractive to new ‘high-quality’ employers and
a range of sites and premises are available to
enable businesses to remain and grow within
the town.
Review existing employment sites that detract
from the general environment of the town, or
have poor access, to see if other uses are more
appropriate.
Tourism
Improve signage to the town centre from the
outskirts to attract visitors.
Seek to create pedestrian and cycle links
between the various visitor attractions in the
vicinity of the town centre.
The recreational cycleways and footpaths
should be improved and expanded to provide
an added attraction to the town's tourism
offer.
Transport
Seek to connect the town with nearby villages
by a network of cycle routes/lanes.
Prevent development that would prejudice the
future use of disused railway trackbeds as
transport corridors.
Ensure that the town’s car parks are attractive
and safe and that there are safe and
convenient pedestrian routes - accessible to
all - from them to the town centre.
Improve the image of the town for employers
by landscaping the existing industrial estates
and ensure that new estates are designed,
laid-out and landscaped to attract investment.
Shopping
Ensure that there is adequate parking.
Signpost the town centre from the car parks
for pedestrians and make these routes
attractive.
E n s u r e t h a t M i l l e r s ’ Wa l k / B r i d g e
Street/Norwich Street/Market Place are the
focus for shopping uses.
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Fakenham Whole Settlement Strategy
P u b l i c Pa r t i c i p a t i o n P r o c e s s
Stakeholder Workshop
Sixty people representing a wide range of interests (commercial businesses, community
organisations, special interest groups, sporting, religious and educational interests and
members of town, parish and District Councils) were involved in a workshop on 19th March
2002. This helped to:
develop an understanding of the role, function and catchment of the town;
appreciate the participant's aspirations and their views on the town’s needs;
and identify the issues that the strategy needed to address.
Interactive Exhibition
The ideas generated at the stakeholder workshop were developed into displays that were
exhibited at Fakenham Learning Centre in the town centre on 25th and 27th April 2002.
More than two hundred people attended this exhibition giving feedback on the issues and
prioritising the options put forward.
For further information please contact:
Forward Planning Manager, North Norfolk District Council,
PO Box 5, Council Offices, Holt Road, Cromer,
Norfolk. NR27 9DZ
Telephone : 01263 516133
e-mail - gary.alexander@north-norfolk.gov.uk
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