21-10-24: Notes from The Farthings Community meeting #3

The Farthings Community Group – Meeting #3

21 October 2024 at 7.30pm in the Margaret Preston Room, Wreningham Village Hall

Aim: To take the work from meeting #2 and further develop the projects / features of The Farthings

Objectives:

  • Agree size, shape and location of each feature on the project list and plot on the plan.
  • Determine best route of paths through the space and to/around features.
  • Review options (if any) draft priorities for features.
  • Consider specifications general matters for Community to address S106 specifics

Input Documents:

  1. Enlarged site plan
  2. Updated proposed project spreadsheet

Meeting Notes

General discussion:

  • Site drainage. This is key to the whole Farthings project. Soggy land is no use to us. FWP have commissioned a drainage engineer to report on a scheme which will address the drainage issues for the site, the drains around the site and those taking surface water away to the North. Noted FWP’s stated determination to get it fixed.
  • Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) is a key factor in the planning application. FWP will have to establish that the whole site will meet the minimum 10% BNG.
  • The Farthings Community Group are not responsible to deliver the BNG target
    • the S106 and the work done by FWP on site will set the foundations from which the target is met over the next 10? 20? 30 years? – period to be spelt out by English Nature
    • The Farthings Community Group produces a proposed layout for how they would like the soft and hard landscaping for the Farthings to be implemented.
    • Ecologists will score a new BNG based on that plan
      • If score > 10% FWP are good to go on approval.
      • If < 10% then FWP must determine how the BNG target will be met. This might involve speaking to the community group about potential/actual projects on the site.
      • Currently we believe the proposals for orchard, woodland and freestanding trees will create a score > 10%. 
  • Allow for maintenance vehicle access for cutting hedges/trees at boundary
  • FWP to establish with authorities that access to the site is permissive and will be closed once a year (S106 impact)

Tree Planting

  • Mirawaki Forest generally a good idea for those with deep pockets & resources – the preparation, cost of buying and of the on-going maintenance is considered too great.
  • So, the group modified the project into support for area planting of tress around the site. Some locations were considered
  • Planting to be of native trees with selection to consider longer term climate change – moderate density (cf Long’s Wood)
  • Noted differing experiences of tree growth in the field
  • Other tree planting initiatives to be considered e.g. planting of specimen trees about the site
  • No S106 impact

Orchard

  • Considered different soft fruits – apples, pears, etc.
  • Two locations identified
  • need to consider whether fencing required and control of access (at leats in the early years) to allow the trees to mature
  • No S106 impact

Sensory Garden

  • need to think about the nature of the plants and their planting
  • Plants selected for scent, tactile, hearing (seed pods, etc.) sight
  • consider planting alongside sections of path
  • perhaps two or three instances of planting
  • No S106 impact

Topological features

  • Amphitheatre not to be carried forward
  • Recognised that the field is generally flat – is there an opportunity to introduce some limited variation in the field?
  • Noted that the areas around the ponds will require contouring – need to consider to what extent
  • Build up the sides of the North/South ditch?
  • Topsoil available from work already planned on the building site and the preparation for the flower meadow will be available for this use
  • Potential S106 impact

Log piles

  • suggested by SNC environmental officers in their comment on the application – to encourage wildlife
  • simple to create and place at the boundary of The Farthings
  • probably 3
  • small S106 impact – use the felled tree and some brushwood from Hethel Road hedge clearance

Willow Tunnel(s)

  • will need care and interventions to shape
  • will provide alternative visual impact
  • perhaps have multiple sets of tunnels
  • No S106 impact

Paths – a number of discussion points arose but nothing was resolved on routing as we ran out of time. Next meeting will return to this.

  • Specialist recommendation to maintain 10m distance from ponds to protect flora and fauna and not impact BNG assessment
  • See SNC documents on this planning application for BNG details
  • Important that good quality path work is done in the field – FWP are to construct paths to National Trust standard suitable for wheelchairs /buggies
  • Use will be as that controlling access along FP5 (from Church Road and along western boundary)
  • Routes to be defined when major features being discussed are finalised
  • S106 impact

Southern boundary – nearest to the gardens of the Church Road houses.

  • A separate meeting on the nature and design of the boundary is to be held with the residents before the weekend
  • S106 impact

Results

  • we have a clearer collective understanding of how the Farthings may develop
  • improved appreciation of what 10x10m looks like when drawn to scale!
  • Now have an idea of constraints for path placement.
  • Improved / revised list of community projects.

Next meeting: 7.30pm, Monday 28th October 2024 at the Village Hall

Revised project listing