NOT TO BE PRINTED_Draft Final TAAP comments duly

Mr Simon Malone Thetford 18 18.01 Comment
Mr Anthony
Lewis Norwich 18 18.02 Comment
Mr Andrew Codd Thetford 18 18.03 Agree
Mrs Julie
Malcolm Thetford 18 18.03 Agree
Mr Roger Birtles RPS London 18 18.04 Disagree
Mr Andrew Codd Thetford 18 18.07 Agree
Mr Simon Malone Thetford 18 18.07 Comment
Thetford town centre MUST be re-built if it is to achieve the desired
vibrancy and popularity envisaged. Riverside Walk is now decaying,
its already unattractive buildings either semi-derelict and unoccupied,
or lacking basic repair and maintenance. Rotten windows and Comments noted. Policy TH21 identifies a number of key town
collapsed fascias add to the air of neglect. The chief asset of the centre sites that provide the key opportunity areas for
town is the riverside frontage and a new, attractive design of building development and change. These include Riverside Walk and
which complements this asset should be put in place at an early other river frontage sites. The Council recognises that
stage of the planned expansion of the town. Until this is done major improving the riverside environment is critical to the successful
High Street retailers will not be encourage to invest in the town regeneration of the town centre. No change.
It is apparent that, in addition to poor physical quality of buildings,
costs of premises and/or rates inhibits the establishment of retail
outlets. For example two specialist retail shops could not afford
renewal of their leases, so relocated to Bury St Edmunds!!!!
This is going to be nothing but wishful thinking until: The run down
and poorly repaired properties round the riverside area (Argos,
M&Co, the empty shops) come under single ownership / the leases
expire or are bought out and the said owner (or owners of like mind)
Comments noted. No change.
invest in the "new vision". Until then the harsh reality is that nothing Comments noted. Policy TH21 identifies a number of key town
will happen. To facilitate this: The authorities need to stop creating a centre sites that provide the key opportunity areas for
wish list and either buy these propertied outright and get on with it or: development and change. These include Riverside Walk and
Actively encourage the existing owners with business rate and other other river frontage sites. The Council recognises that
incentives to develop the site themselves or sell up to someone who improving the riverside environment is critical to the successful
will.
regeneration of the town centre. No change
The whole of the town centre needs to be revamped now!!!!!!!!. We
do not need to be wasting money on yet another action plan for the
town centre. Residences are fed up with hearing about action plans
on paper. They actually want to see something happening!!!!!!!!
We disagree with the appropriateness of referring to the Thetford
Retail Park as an edge-of-centre location in shopping terms (e.g.
paragraph 18.4). The site, in our opinion, is divorced from the town
centre and does not perform as an edge-of-centre site. The primary
shopping area is not readily apparent from the retail park and the
walk between the two is convoluted and lacks visual interest. The
actual walk from the closest retail store on the site to the defined
primary shopping area exceeds the 300m guidance figure of PPS4.
Having regard to the guidance in PPS4 and its Practice Guidance
the site is more properly defined as an out-of-centre site.
An immediate improvement would be to permanently move the
existing market place holders (who are on prime parking) to locations
down the main pedestrianised high street (as per the French market
etc).
Don't waste the town centre car park with building an academy on it.
Take account of the planned closure of the Magistrate's court and
incorporate the area south of the river into any new regeneration of
the town shopping area
The TAAP supports a number of redevelopment opportunities in
the town centre and provides a positive framework for those
development proposals that help the regeneration of the town
centre. The TAAP is supportive of the need to prepare a town
centre masterplan as this will help coordinate investment and
activity and provide for coherent action for the town centre. No change
Disagree. Thetford Retail Park is established within the defined
Town Centre boundary as set out in the adopted Core Strategy.
The 300m figure in PPS4 is a guidance distance and the taking
the most direct walking route the distance between the edge of
the Primary Shopping Area and the Retail Park is marginally just
over 300m at 340metres. Given the nature of Thetford town
centre and relative proximity of the Retail Park site to the Market
Place and Primary Shopping Area it is considered appropriate in
the local context to ascribe Thetford Retail Park an edge of
centre status. No change
Comments noted. The management of markets is the
responsibility of Thetford Town Council. The French market
comes twice a year, the Thetford market is held every Tuesday
and Saturday. Consideration must be given to the retail
businesses who pay rent and rates to trade in King Street and it
could not be fair on those particular businesses. NCC would not
want lorries and vans permanently driving on the pedestrian
area. It is a chartered market and the place for the market is
Market Place. Stalls are moved into King Street when the market
place is being used for special events like in June when British
Legion want to celebrate their 60th anniversary. Not all the
market stall would want to move and many of the stall s are too
big to fit in small gaps. No change
Agree. Since the TAAP consultation it has been announced that
the Forum proposal on the Anchor site is no longer proceeding.
The Riverside area is recognised within the TAAP as a key area
for regeneration for a variety of town centre uses such as retail,
commercial leisure, education, offices and residential. The
Magistrate's Court building closes on 31st March 2011 and the
Riverside Opportunity Area identified in Map 18.1 should be
enlarged to include this building.
Amend Map 18.1 to include
Magistrate's Court within the
Riverside opportunity area.