Whole Settlement Strategy
WELLS
July 2003
NORTH
NORFOLK
DISTRICT COUNCIL
Wells 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 Wells. 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
Wells-next-the Sea is a small town whose character and intrinsic charm has diminished little over
the years; however, its role and function today is a far cry from that of the fishing harbour and
commercial port that it once was. The town's character, and indeed its name, derives from its
seaside location and it is that which is still the lifeblood of the town today.
The town supports a thriving tourist industry, which its local
economy is now dependent upon but which also gives rise to a
range of issues. The sensitive ecological environment is
threatened by disturbance from visitors whilst at peak times the
town becomes congested with their cars. The jobs that are
created are largely low-paid, seasonal and insecure.
The attractiveness of the town has led to pressure from those
seeking second homes and retirement homes in the area, which
has contributed to rapid increases in house prices in recent
years. This, coupled with the low-wage economy, has led to a
shortage of housing that is affordable to those working locally,
which in turn has contributed to the demographic imbalance of
the area.
This strategy aims to foster a more balanced and more
prosperous settlement by capitalising on the town's assets in a
way that respects its high quality environment, providing a good
quality of life for residents and a rewarding experience for
visitors.
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Wells Whole Settlement Strategy
ROLES
Environment
Wells-next-the-Sea is a charming, characterful, yet
unsophisticated town. The town has many historic
buildings and attractive areas and it is set in the most
superb landscape providing a wealth of wildlife habitats.
Housing
Wells-next-the-Sea is a desirable place to live.
Traditionally there has been a reasonably good mix of
house types, tenure and price in the town; however, over
recent years house prices have risen sharply. Over the
same period there has been an influx of people moving
to the town to retire and an increase in the number of
properties becoming second homes.
Employment
Employment has been by no means a major role of the
town since the decline of the traditional industries of
agriculture, fishing and the active commercial harbour.
Employment in the town is now almost entirely in the
service sector and that is largely dependent on tourist
income. A high proportion of residents of the area are
retired.
Services & Facilities
Wells-next-the-Sea is an intimate, friendly small town.
Considering its size the town provides a good range of
shops, services and community facilities such as
healthcare and education, catering for the day-to-day
needs of a fairly small catchment. In addition, a relatively
wide range of activities, organisations and clubs cater for
most of the recreational and leisure needs of the
residents of the town and surrounding villages. There are
both formal sporting facilities and ample opportunities
for outdoor pursuits such as walking, cycling, boating,
fishing etc.
Residents rely on the larger towns (primarily Fakenham
and King’s Lynn) for main shopping needs, professional
services, higher education and hospital treatment.
Younger people inevitably also look to these for evening
entertainment such as the cinema and night-clubs.
Access to these towns by public transport is limited.
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Wells Whole Settlement Strategy
Tourism
People visit Wells-next-the-Sea because it is an attractive
historic town in its own right as well as for its proximity to
fine beaches, beautiful countryside and visitor attractions
such as Holkham Hall. It attracts local day visitors, casual
visitors touring the North Norfolk area and short and longstay holidaymakers from Britain and abroad. As well as
being an attraction, the town and surrounding area also
serves as a holiday centre with a wealth and variety of
holiday accommodation.
Tourism is fundamental to the town, making a major
contribution to its economy.
Transport
Wells-next-the-Sea is small enough for many journeys
within the town to be made on foot or by bicycle and the
area is popular with cyclists, walkers and boat users. It is,
however, relatively inaccessible from other areas to all but
car users. The Coastliner bus service is important to
residents and in catering for non-carborne visitors.
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Wells Whole Settlement Strategy
Environment
The town’s environment is a huge asset, both for the quality of life
of its inhabitants and for the economy of the town.
The town does have a number of unsightly areas including the
‘gateway’ by road (especially from the east).
Visitors put pressure on the environmental assets of the town and
its hinterland, threatening the very things that attract people.
Housing
The large number of properties owned as second homes, either
occupied by their owners on an occasional basis or let for use by
holidaymakers, limits the accommodation available for
permanent occupation. This increases the competition for
housing and contributes to high house prices in the area. It has
thus become very difficult - if not impossible - for people on low
incomes to compete in the local housing market.
As most younger people are unable to afford houses in the town
and surrounding areas and most people moving into the area are
retired, there is an increasing imbalance in the population
structure.
Because of the large number of second homes the vitality of the
town’s community is lost in the off-season period.
Employment
As employment in the town is heavily dependent on tourism,
many jobs are seasonal, low-paid, insecure and part-time.
The economic prospects for the town are limited and declining
due to:
the town’s relative geographical isolation;
the lack of high quality employment opportunities; and
the limited labour force.
Because of the lack of investment in ISDN and Broadband service
provision the town is not able to compete with others for new
high-tech industries, and opportunities for tele-working are
constrained. Information Technology is thus unlikely to make
any significant difference to the town's economy.
Many people who are employed in the town may be unable to
afford suitable accommodation and thus have to commute from
Fakenham, for example; conversely, because of the limited
opportunities in the town many residents have to travel to work
elsewhere.
There are few opportunities suitable for school-leavers.
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Wells Whole Settlement Strategy
Services & Facilities
The lack of a petrol-filling station in the town and its
surrounding area, means that people have to leave the
town to get petrol. This is both an inconvenience and
reduces spending in the town.
Currently there is a lack of youth and community facilities.
Although in need of modernisation, the swimming-pool at
the school is a valued asset.
There are too few community projects involving recycling,
conservation and green initiatives.
Tourism
The large number of visitors at peak times puts pressure on
the town and its surroundings:
the roads become congested and the car parks
become full, causing problems for locals but also
deterring further visitors from stopping in the town;
and
the environment of the town and surrounding area is a
huge asset but is susceptible to visitor pressure
through litter, disturbance, erosion etc.
Tourism is very seasonal, the vast majority of visitors
coming over the summer months. This leads to only
temporary jobs in the tourist industry and businesses that
depend on visitor spending.
The harbour has far greater potential as a visitor attraction
than is realised at present.
Transport
The Coasthopper service provides a regular bus service
along the coast for residents and visitors, otherwise public
transport to/from the town is poor and often
uncoordinated.
Roads become congested at times of the ‘school-run’.
At peak holiday season there is an acute parking problem in
the town.
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Wells Whole Settlement Strategy
AIMS
Environment
To conserve and enhance the natural beauty
of the area and the historic character of the
town.
Housing
To meet local ‘affordable’ housing needs
whilst restricting new housing development
to within the existing built-up area.
Employment
To encourage more sustainable year-round
employment opportunities for all age
groups.
To maximise the benefits of tourism to the
local economy.
To retain sites to accommodate small-scale
employment enterprises.
Services & Facilities
To bolster the role of the town as a
service-centre for the wider hinterland.
To retain and expand the range of
shops, services and community and
recreational facilities in the town to fulfil t h e
general everyday needs of its catchment.
Tourism
To meet the needs of visitors without
harming the character of the town and the
quality of its environment.
To capitalise on the heritage of the town,
especially the harbour and quay.
To ensure that there are adequate facilities,
infrastructure and car-parking to cater for
peak demand.
Transport
To ensure that the town is safe, clean and
accessible for residents and visitors using a
variety of modes of transport.
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Wells Whole Settlement Strategy
OBJECTIVES
Environment
Tourism
Conserve the essential character of the town, protecting
important buildings and mature trees and retaining
open spaces.
Support appropriate development that enables the town
to tap into specialist tourist markets such as boating,
walking, art and independent travel from abroad.
Conserve the special character of the former whelk
houses at the ‘east-end’ of the quay.
Enhance the harbour to enable it to become a focus for
visitors to the town, with facilities for visiting boats and
better pedestrian access on the quay provided that its
character is conserved and sufficient car parking spaces
can be found elsewhere in the town.
Enhance the gateways to the town and ensure that
development which affects views of the town is
sympathetic to its outstanding landscape setting.
Enhance the quayside environment.
Make the open land at Marsh Lane an additional focus for
the town, managed for its wildlife value. This could
include interpretation boards and managed access.
Improve the appearance of existing car parks in the town
and ensure that any additional car parking areas are well
designed and sympathetic to the character of the town.
Housing
Restrict new housing development to within the existing
limits of the town (in the adopted Local Plan).
Ensure that a significant proportion of new housing
development is affordable housing to meet proven local
needs.
Ensure that all new housing development is well
designed, in character with its surroundings and that
houses have adequate gardens. Large new housing
estates are not appropriate, rather smaller units should
be developed on selected small sites within the town.
Employment
Ensure that all new visitor attractions and
accommodation have adequate infrastructure and
parking.
Support new initiatives for tourism based on activities
that do not depend on the use of the car and encourage
the provision of facilities that cater for non car-borne
visitors.
Transport and infrastructure
Investigate the potential for providing safe routes to
schools for pedestrians and cyclists.
Ensure that all new visitor attractions, accommodation
and other facilities attracting large numbers of people are
accessible to cyclists and pedestrians as well as
motorists.
Continue to support the Coastliner bus service and other
improvements in public transport provision for both
residents and visitors.
Identify a site for a new car park, either to meet general
parking needs or as an ‘overflow’ for peak times.
Make the quayside a more pedestrian-friendly
environment.
Retain the industrial estate as a site for future industrial
development or other employment enterprises.
Encourage appropriate tourism/leisure-related
investment that will enable the town to tap into new
tourism markets and better employment prospects in the
tourist/leisure sector.
Focus on the industries that capitalise on the area’s assets
e.g. boating-related industries and the environmental
sector.
Services and facilities
Ensure that no development takes place that would lead
to the loss or reduction of community or recreational
facilities.
Restrict all commercial development to locations within
the town centre (identified in the adopted Local Plan).
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Wells 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
More than forty people representing a wide range of interests (commercial businesses, community
organisations, special interest groups, sporting, religious and educational interests and members of
the Town, parish and District Councils) were involved in a workshop on 21st June 2001.
Interactive Exhibition
The ideas generated at the stakeholder workshop were developed into displays that were exhibited
at the Congregational Hall in Clubb Street on Saturday 1st September 2001. Approximately 160
people attended this exhibition giving feedback on the issues and prioritising the options put
forward.
Targetted Session
To ensure that young people’s views were represented it was decided to involve young people from
Wells who attend the Alderman Peel High School. This was done by staging an interactive exhibition
in the High School foyer from the 4th to the 7th September 2001. It was similar to the full public
exhibition but focused more on the issues likely to affect young people. Many students took an
active interest in the project and the exhibition generated some very useful feedback.
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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