Whole Settlement Strategy
SHERINGHAM
May 2003
NORTH
NORFOLK
DISTRICT COUNCIL
Sheringham 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 land-use
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 Sheringham. 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
Sheringham’s distinctive character, high-quality environment and seaside location make it an attractive
town to live in and a popular visitor destination. As both a market town and a resort town it caters well
for most of the needs of residents and visitors alike.
The town’s attractiveness and its location bring
employment opportunities based on the local
tourist industry and fishing industry; broader
employment opportunities, however, are rather
limited. The town’s population has grown
significantly over recent years but much of the new
housing development has been beyond the reach of
those who are local to the area and there remains a
significant level of housing need in the town.
In general the Strategy aims to support the
established roles of the town, fostering
development to meet its needs without detriment
to its assets. The Strategy seeks particularly to
protect and enhance the setting of the town, the
open spaces within it and the character of the town
centre whilst seeking to accommodate appropriate
new housing development, a larger foodstore,
employment development and a coach park. The
Strategy, in general, promotes methods that
maximise the use of previously-developed land.
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Sheringham Whole Settlement Strategy
ROLES
Environment
Sheringham is set amongst some of the most attractive
landscape in Norfolk. It is a naturally-contained town
situated between the Cromer Ridge and the sea, and is
surrounded by woodland, parkland, heaths and
commons, which together provide a rich habitat for
wildlife.
The centre of the town has a distinctive architectural
character with historic street patterns and attractive
open spaces.
Housing
Sheringham’s attractive and safe environment, coupled
with the facilities the town possesses and the range of
accommodation available, make it a desirable place to
live. The Sheringham area is thus an increasingly popular
location for retirement and for second-home ownership.
A great deal of housing development has taken place in
Sheringham over the past 10 years or so, resulting in the
loss of open countryside. Whilst there is a good mix of
house types and tenure in the town as a whole, quite a
lot of recent development has been expensive, upmarket development catering for retired people from
beyond the area.
Employment
Sheringham retains its traditional employment sectors of
fishing and tourism deriving from its seaside location.
Partly because of its location it has never developed a
firm industrial base, although some significant local
employers have grown up in the town.
Leisure and Community Facilities
Sheringham has a good range of facilities catering for
the needs of residents of the town and its hinterland,
including schools, healthcare facilities and a wealth of
leisure and recreational opportunities. In addition, the
area benefits from a host of outdoor recreational
opportunities associated with the countryside and the
coast as well as having a top-quality golf course.
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Sheringham Whole Settlement Strategy
Shopping
Sheringham is characterised as both a market town and a
resort town. It has a vibrant town centre providing a rich
variety of shops, banks, cafes etc. meeting most of the
needs of the local catchment and attracting people from
further afield.
The town does not have a modern supermarket and
many people go to Cromer or elsewhere for their weekly
food shopping. For clothes, furniture and major goods
residents of the area tend to go to Norwich.
Tourism
Sheringham is an attractive seaside town set in beautiful
countryside, with fine beaches and many tourist
attractions, both in the town and nearby. It attracts
visitors throughout the year on day-trips, short breaks
and longer stays and has a range of accommodation,
from high quality hotels to budget self-catering. Tourism
is thus a major source of income and employment for the
town.
Transport
Sheringham is accessible by a variety of means of
transport. It has rail links with Norwich and beyond, via
the Bittern Line, is served by convenient peak-time bus
services and is well located for the main road network.
There are many opportunities for walking and cycling in
the area for recreational purposes, although there are
limitations on these as modes of transport.
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Sheringham Whole Settlement Strategy
ISSUES
Environment
The character of the town and the beauty of its surroundings are
important assets.
Open spaces within and around the town are important to the
quality of life.
Better use could be made of open areas around the town,
including Pretty Corner, Morley Hill and along the Cromer Ridge,
by improving sign posting, interpretation and public access.
The main entrances (’gateways’) to the town along the A149
and Holway Road are unappealing.
Some of the more recent housing development to the south of
the coast road has encroached onto the attractive setting of the
town and has generally not been designed in the local style.
The appearance of the sea-front area, especially the east
promenade, should be improved.
Housing
In common with much of North Norfolk, particularly along the
coast, the cost of housing has risen to the extent that local
housing needs are not being met.
Affordable housing has not been integrated with general
housing.
There is an increasing need for care homes for the elderly.
The need for housing should not mean further development on
greenfield sites.
Employment
Inevitably, quite a large number of people commute to work in
nearby towns and Norwich.
The leisure industry (and its links with tourism) is an important
source of jobs in the future.
Sheringham is unlikely to be a preferred location for major
industrial employers, other towns in the area (e.g. Holt) should
provide some of the employment needs of residents of
Sheringham.
Although small, the fishing industry (and related processing) is
an important local industry and is vital to character of the town.
Care for the elderly is a potential source of employment.
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Sheringham Whole Settlement Strategy
Community Facilities
It is regrettable that in the past development has
been allowed on open spaces and recreational land.
Whilst a skate -park has been provided,
skateboarding on pavements is still a problem.
An additional surgery is needed.
Shopping
The variety, character and quality of the many
individual shops in the town centre comprises an
important characteristic of the town.
There is a need for an appropriately-sized
supermarket and it should be on a town-centre site.
However, there is concern that small local shops in
the town centre will be harmed by the development
of a new supermarket.
Because the town centre is distant from many
residential areas, local convenience stores are
important.
Amusement arcades are often out of character with
the street scene and can be noisy and obtrusive.
Tourism
There are close links between the recreation and
leisure opportunities in the town and its
attractiveness as a visitor destination.
The high-quality environment of the town and its
surroundings is a major attraction and thus an
economic asset.
Transport
There are conflicts between pedestrians and traffic in
the town centre.
There is a lack of safe cycleways.
There are access difficulties within the town centre
for people with disabilities.
There is inadequate coach parking.
The lack of a rail link between the Bittern Line and the
North Norfolk railway is a lost opportunity for both
public transport provision and tourism potential.
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Sheringham Whole Settlement Strategy
AIMS
Environment
To conserve and enhance the natural beauty
and ecological value of the area and improve
its accessibility to the public.
To conserve the character of the town and
ensure that new development reflects
distinctive local qualities.
To enhance the setting of the town and its
gateways.
Housing
To meet local housing needs by encouraging
the development of affordable housing for
younger people and care homes for the
elderly whilst restricting new housing
development to within the existing built up
area.
Employment
To continue to exploit Sheringham's location
and high-quality environment to attract
employment in the service industries,
particularly the tourism, leisure and care
sectors.
To provide land which will enable small-scale
employment development opportunities to
be exploited.
To support the provision of better public
transport links with nearby towns (particularly
Holt), accepting that not all of Sheringham's
employment needs can be met within the
town.
Community Facilities
To maintain the range and quality of community
and recreational facilities in the town, which
meet the general everyday needs of its
catchment and also support tourism.
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Shopping
To support the role of Sheringham as a market
town and service centres for the surrounding
area by maintaining and improving the
provision of shops and other commercial
activities in its town centre.
To s u p p o r t t h e p r o v i s i o n o f
neighbourhood convenience stores.
local
Tourism
To maintain the town’s attraction as a tourist
destination.
Transport
To ensure the town is accessible for all residents
and visitors by public transport, cycling and on
foot as well as by car.
To ensure that the town-centre is safe and
accessible for pedestrians.
To maintain and improve public transport links
to other employment centres in the District and
beyond, in order to minimise the environmental
impacts of commuting by car.
To connect the Bittern Line to the Norfolk
Railway.
Sheringham Whole Settlement Strategy
OBJECTIVES
Environment
Protect the coastline, commons, woodlands,
heaths, and other important landscape features
(such as Franklyn Hill) and wildlife habitats.
Keep the town contained within its current
development boundary.
Continue to protect Morley Hill and surrounding
open land from further development and seek to
secure public access to it.
Seek improvements and appropriate development
that enhances the appearance of the east
promenade.
Improve the appearance of the town centre streets
and spaces.
Pay careful attention to the settings, gateways, and
views to and from the town when considering new
development.
Housing
Encourage well designed, higher-density
developments on brownfield sites within the town
and not on green spaces within the town.
Employment
Capitalise on the high quality environment in
Sheringham and surrounding villages as an
attraction to new businesses, especially homebased.
Protect and enhance the town’s tourist and
recreation assets as they support jobs.
Continue to identify the allotment land to the West
of the ‘Splash’ as a Proposed General Employment
Area.
Shopping
Identify a suitable site for a new supermarket
development as close to the centre of town as
possible, ensuring that it has good pedestrian links
to the main shopping areas - thereby maximising
the benefit of such development and minimising
any impact on the vitality and viability of the town
centre as a whole.
Seek improvements in the attractiveness and
accessibility of the town centre.
Protect neighbourhood convenience stores.
Limit amusement arcades to the area identified on
the existing Local Plan (12-24 High Street (evens
inclusive)).
Tourism
Protect the tourism assets of the town and its
hinterland: for example, the high quality
environment; the recreation and leisure facilities;
the access to informal outdoor recreation; the
clean beaches; the visitor attractions; and the
distinctive character of the town.
Enable the provision of a range of visitor
accommodation, provided it does not detract from
any of the town’s assets.
Transport
Manage traffic in the town centre and seek to
reduce traffic flows, particularly on Station Road, to
improve the environment for pedestrians.
Safeguard the route necessary to link the Bittern
Line with the North Norfolk Railway and resist any
development that might jeopardise the
implementation of this link.
Protect the capacity of the town's existing car parks.
Community Facilities
Identify a suitable site for a coach park.
Protect recreational land and ensure adequate
replacement where it is lost through development
(e.g. expansion of the High School).
Maximise opportunities for access to the
countryside surrounding the town for informal
outdoor recreation.
Ensure that adequate facilities are provided to
meet the recreational needs of young people.
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Sheringham 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 24 October 2001.
Interactive Exhibition
The ideas generated at the stakeholder workshop were developed into displays that were exhibited
at the North Norfolk Railway Station in the town centre on Saturday 17 November 2001.
Approximately 170 people attended this exhibition giving feedback on the issues and prioritising the
options put forward.
Targeted Session
To ensure that young people’s views were represented, a workshop session was held on the 11
December 2001 at Sheringham High School. Approximately twenty-five students from year seven
through to the sixth form who took part.
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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