Great Yarmouth Borough Council Portal
No.Condition Text
1.The proposed change of use from Class B8 (Storage) / Class E (Office) to Class F1 (Alternative Provision School) would introduce a 'More Vulnerable' use into Flood Zone 3a, an area identified by the Planning Practice Guidance as having a high probability of flooding. According to the submitted Flood Risk Assessment (FRA), the existing ground/floor level sits at 2.75m AOD, whereas projected flood levels during the 1 in 200-year and 1 in 1000-year climate change events (including breach scenarios) reach 4.49m AOD and 4.87m AOD respectively. Consequently, the building would experience significant internal flooding up to 1.74m in depth. The development represents an unacceptable risk to life, property, and personal safety especially when considering the unpredictable nature of tidal flood events and that evacuation of the site could be difficult due to some of the vulnerable persons using the facility. The provision of an Alternative Provision School within an area of such high flood risk is considered unacceptable. The proposal is contrary to contrary to Policy CLC2 of the Great Yarmouth Local Plan (2026), Policies F6 and F7 of the National Planning Policy Framework (August 2026), and the associated Planning Practice Guidance: Flood Risk and Coastal Change (PPG).
2.The proposal fails to demonstrate that it would provide an acceptable level of amenity of current and future occupiers of the site. The site is situated within an established and active industrial area characterised by surrounding Class B2 (General Industrial) and B8 (Storage and Distribution) warehouse operations. These surrounding units operate without restrictive conditions on noise generation, or air quality impacts. The introduction of a Class F1 educational facility into an active industrial setting creates an incompatible relationship between the application site and surrounding uses. This is contrary to policy HEC7 of the Great Yarmouth Local Plan (2026) and NPPF Policy P3.
3.The proposed development fails to demonstrate that adequate, safe, and sustainable access, drop-off facilities, or parking can be provided to serve a Class F1 School, contrary to Policies SUT1 and SUT2 of the Local Plan 2026 and the Norfolk County Council Parking Guidelines for New Developments (July 2022). The site lacks off-street drop-off and turning areas for private cars, minibuses, or taxis, forcing vehicles to stop within Riverside Road. Given the existing high demand for on-street parking and constrained carriageway width, stopping vehicles would disrupt traffic flow and create severe highway safety implications. Furthermore, the site and surrounding road network lack footways, forcing pedestrians using nearby public transport to navigate Riverside Road and South Icehouse Hill; a steep, single-track road without safe pedestrian refuges. In the absence of a Travel Plan, details of pupil and staff numbers, dedicated non-motorised user infrastructure, or cycle storage, the proposal relies heavily on private vehicles in an unsafe pedestrian environment, and provides insufficient parking and drop-off capacity, resulting in an unacceptable impact on highway safety contrary to the Great Yarmouth Local Plan (2026) Policies SUT1 and SUT2.
4.STATEMENT OF POSITIVE ENGAGEMENT (REFUSALS): In accordance with the NPPF, in determining this application for planning permission, the Borough Council has approached it in a positive and proactive way and where possible has sought solutions to problems to achieve the aim of approving sustainable development. Unfortunately, despite this, in this particular case the development is not considered to represent sustainable or an acceptable form of development and has been refused for the reasons set out above.