Skip to main content

LOCAL PLACE. BIG DECISION.

Planning application 26/00745/OM

Please check the official Council application page for the current consultation deadline and application status.

Say No in Ashwicken
SAY NO IN ASHWICKEN
View across Ashwicken Lake in Norfolk

LOCAL PLACE. BIG DECISION.

SAY NO IN
ASHWICKEN

A major holiday and leisure development is proposed at Ashwicken Lake.

Local residents believe the scale and intensity of the proposal could fundamentally change this quiet rural area.

We're not against tourism, jobs or investment.

We're asking whether a development of this scale belongs in this particular location.

PLANNING APPLICATION26/00745/OM
HAVE YOUR SAY WHAT'S BEING PROPOSED?
View the official Council application(opens in a new tab — external website)

SO, WHAT'S ACTUALLY BEING PROPOSED?

Planning applications can be difficult to understand.

Here's the proposal in plain English.

Planning Application 26/00745/OM proposes turning Ashwicken Lake into a substantial holiday and leisure destination.

Resident analysis of the application material has focused particularly on approximately 154 holiday accommodation units together with associated leisure facilities, access, parking, landscaping, servicing and infrastructure.

Because parts of the application are in outline, not every detailed element of the eventual development is necessarily fixed at this stage.

154

APPROX. HOLIDAY
ACCOMMODATION UNITS

  • + LEISURE / WELLNESS FACILITIES
  • + PARKING & ACCESS
  • + STAFF, SERVICING & DELIVERIES
  • + ASSOCIATED INFRASTRUCTURE

IT'S MORE THAN THE BUILDINGS.

A destination of this kind also creates everyday movement and activity around it — visitors arriving and leaving, staff travelling to work, deliveries, servicing, waste collection, lighting and ongoing operation.

That wider impact is at the heart of residents' concerns.

This is a simplified resident summary. The official application documents published by the Borough Council remain the definitive source.

SEE THE PROPOSAL IN MORE DETAIL

IT SOUNDS GOOD AT FIRST…

We understand why people who don't live immediately around Ashwicken Lake might initially think the proposal sounds positive.

Holiday accommodation, leisure and wellness facilities, tourism, jobs and investment can all sound like good things for West Norfolk.

And we're not against those things.

Our concern is whether a development of this size and intensity belongs in this particular rural location — and whether the roads, environment and communities surrounding it can absorb that change without losing what is already here.

THE QUESTION ISN'T:
“IS TOURISM GOOD?”

THE QUESTION IS:
“IS THIS DEVELOPMENT RIGHT FOR ASHWICKEN?”

WHY DOES THIS MATTER TO PEOPLE WHO LIVE HERE?

For somebody looking at the proposal on a screen, Ashwicken Lake can simply look like a large site with space for a new destination.

Living here gives a different perspective.

This is a quiet rural community surrounded by country roads, homes, woodland, water and countryside.

And a development doesn't stop at its boundary.

  • Visitors have to arrive and leave.
  • Staff travel to work.
  • Deliveries and servicing take place.
  • Waste is collected.
  • Buildings and parking need lighting.
  • Construction traffic has to reach the site.

That is why residents are asking people to look beyond what is proposed inside the site and consider what it could mean for the community around it.

WHY ARE WE SAYING NO?

ROADS & TRAFFIC

These are rural roads — not resort roads.

Ashwicken is served by rural roads with narrow sections, verges and limited pedestrian infrastructure.

A visitor destination creates more than guest traffic. It also means staff journeys, deliveries, servicing, waste collection and construction traffic.

Residents are asking whether the surrounding road network is genuinely suited to the scale and type of traffic this development could generate.

THE DEVELOPMENT MAY BE INSIDE THE SITE. THE TRAFFIC DOESN'T STAY THERE.

WHY TRAFFIC MATTERS

SCHOOL & PEDESTRIAN SAFETY

What happens outside the gates?

These roads are already used every day by local families, pedestrians and school traffic.

Residents want to understand how additional visitor, staff, delivery and servicing movements would interact with busy school periods and roads where pedestrian infrastructure can be limited.

IT'S NOT JUST HOW CARS GET TO THE SITE — IT'S WHO THEY MEET ON THE WAY.

SEE THE QUESTIONS

WILDLIFE & THE LAKE

This isn't just land to build on.

Ashwicken Lake sits within a landscape of water, woodland, vegetation and countryside.

Development introduces buildings, people, vehicles, lighting, noise and activity into that existing environment.

Residents want confidence that habitats, wildlife, ecological connectivity and the rural night-time environment are properly protected.

EXPLORE THE ECOLOGY CONCERNS

SCALE & RURAL CHARACTER

154 units changes the conversation.

This isn't a proposal for a handful of holiday lodges.

Residents are questioning whether a substantial holiday and leisure destination is appropriate for this particular rural setting.

THE ISSUE ISN'T DEVELOPMENT VERSUS NO DEVELOPMENT. IT'S SCALE + LOCATION.

UNDERSTAND THE SCALE

NOISE & LIGHT

A quiet place feels very different after dark.

Accommodation, parking, paths, vehicle headlights, leisure facilities, servicing and evening activity could collectively alter the existing rural night-time environment.

Residents believe those effects need proper consideration for neighbouring properties and wildlife.

WHAT LOOKS SMALL ON A SITE PLAN CAN FEEL VERY DIFFERENT AT 10PM IN A QUIET RURAL COMMUNITY.

READ MORE

WATER & GROUND CONDITIONS

A former quarry deserves proper investigation.

Historic professional evidence identified geo-environmental and geotechnical matters requiring further investigation.

Residents want to understand whether the recommended follow-up work was completed and how former quarry ground conditions, groundwater and related issues have been addressed for the current proposal.

SEE THE VERIFIED EVIDENCE

WHAT DID THE 2020 GROUND REPORT SAY?

VERIFIED HISTORIC EVIDENCE

Residents have obtained and reviewed Hydrock's complete 2020 Phase 1 Ground Conditions Desk Study for Ashwicken Lakes.

Hydrock assessed the overall land-contamination risk for a redeveloped site as moderate, with some specific potentially high risks requiring confirmation through intrusive investigation, testing and assessment.

The report also identified potential issues associated with former or reworked quarry ground and geotechnical hazards including variable ground, shallow groundwater, running sands and slope instability.

Hydrock's field photographs recorded signs of collapse on part of the lake shoreline.

Most importantly, Hydrock stated that an appropriate intrusive investigation “will need to be undertaken”.

SO WAS THAT FOLLOW-UP INVESTIGATION DONE?

Residents have not yet independently identified the later investigation in publicly indexed planning material.

That does NOT prove it doesn't exist.

Residents believe the applicant and Council should be able to identify the subsequent report and demonstrate how Hydrock's recommendations have been addressed for the current proposal.

WE ARE NOT CLAIMING THE SITE IS CONTAMINATED.

Hydrock did not conclude that the site was legally “Contaminated Land”.

The question is whether the redevelopment risks identified by Hydrock were subsequently investigated and satisfactorily addressed.

READ THE GROUND CONDITIONS EVIDENCE

“BUT WON'T IT BRING JOBS AND MONEY INTO THE AREA?”

Potential employment, tourism and investment are real considerations.

We understand why people may see those things as benefits.

But the existence of benefits doesn't automatically mean every development is suitable for every location.

Planning is about balance.

The question is whether the benefits of this particular proposal outweigh its effects on the roads, environment, landscape and communities that already surround the site.

We aren't asking people to oppose investment in West Norfolk.

We're asking people to consider whether THIS development, at THIS scale, belongs in THIS location.

JOBS AND INVESTMENT MATTER.
SO DO THE PLACE, ENVIRONMENT AND COMMUNITY THAT ARE ALREADY HERE.

PUT YOURSELF IN OUR SHOES.

Imagine this was the quiet rural area where you lived.

Imagine these were the roads you used every day.

Imagine your children or grandchildren used them.

Imagine the lake, woodland and countryside were part of the place you called home.

Then imagine a major visitor destination being proposed there.

You might still believe development can bring benefits.

We do too.

But wouldn't you want to be certain it was the right development, at the right scale, in the right place?

THAT IS ALL WE ARE ASKING PEOPLE TO CONSIDER.

WE WANT A STRONG CASE — NOT JUST A LOUD ONE.

This campaign opposes the proposed development, but we want the case against it to be accurate.

Residents are reviewing planning documents, historic records, professional reports and local evidence.

Where possible, important claims are checked against primary or official sources.

If something turns out to be wrong, we correct it.

VERIFIED

Checked against a primary, professional or official source.

LOCAL EVIDENCE

Photographs, videos or first-hand observations supplied by residents.

UNDER INVESTIGATION

A genuine question has been identified but further evidence or clarification is required.

EXPLORE THE EVIDENCE

LATEST FROM THE CAMPAIGN

25 AUGUST 2026

HYDROCK REPORT REVIEWED

Residents have obtained and reviewed the complete 2020 Hydrock Phase 1 Ground Conditions Desk Study. The report identified ground and redevelopment risks requiring further intrusive investigation. Residents are now seeking confirmation of where that subsequent work appears in the planning evidence.

DO YOU SHARE THESE CONCERNS?

We've tried to explain our concerns openly and fairly.

You can read the official planning documents yourself and make up your own mind.

If, having looked at the proposal and the issues surrounding it, you also believe this development may be inappropriate for Ashwicken, you can make your own representation directly to the Borough Council.

You don't need to be a planning expert.

You don't need to copy somebody else's objection.

Simply explain, in your own words, the genuine planning issues that concern you.

PLANNING APPLICATION

26/00745/OM

HAVE YOUR SAY VIEW OFFICIAL APPLICATION(opens in a new tab — external website)

HELP OTHER PEOPLE UNDERSTAND WHAT IS BEING PROPOSED.

If you think people should know more about this application before making up their minds, please share:

SAYNOASHWICKEN.CO.UK

with neighbours, friends and local groups.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

ARE YOU JUST AGAINST DEVELOPMENT?
No. Our concern is the scale, location and impacts of this particular proposal. Tourism, jobs and investment can bring benefits. We're questioning whether a development of this scale is appropriate for Ashwicken and whether the surrounding roads, environment and community can accommodate it without unacceptable harm.
WHY SHOULD PEOPLE OUTSIDE ASHWICKEN CARE?
Because planning decisions shape places for many years. You don't have to live beside the lake to understand why the scale, location, road network and environmental effects matter. We're asking people to understand the proposal and consider how they would feel if a development of this scale was proposed in a similar rural setting where they lived.
IS THIS AN OFFICIAL WEBSITE?
No. Say No in Ashwicken is an independent resident-led campaign relating to Planning Application 26/00745/OM. Official planning documents and formal representations are handled by the Borough Council.
ARE YOU CLAIMING THE SITE IS CONTAMINATED?
No. Hydrock's 2020 Phase 1 report identified potential redevelopment risks requiring further intrusive investigation, but did not conclude that the site was legally “Contaminated Land”. Residents are seeking confirmation that the recommended follow-up investigation was completed and adequately addresses the current proposal.
WHY SHOULD I OBJECT IN MY OWN WORDS?
Because your representation should reflect the planning issues that genuinely concern you. This website explains residents' concerns so that you can understand the issues and form your own view.
WHAT IF SOMETHING ON THIS WEBSITE TURNS OUT TO BE WRONG?
We correct it. Our aim is to build an accurate, evidence-led case rather than preserve weak arguments.

OFFICIAL SOURCES

HAVE YOUR SAY