Long Stratton

infobox UK place

country = England
official_name= Long Stratton
latitude= 52.488
longitude= 1.234
population = 3,701 (2001 Census)
shire_district= South Norfolk
region= East of England

shire_county = Norfolk
constituency_westminster= South Norfolk
post_town= NORWICH
postcode_district = NR15
postcode_area= NR
dial_code= 01508
os_grid_reference= TM1954292745

Long Stratton is a civil parish in South Norfolk, in the East of England, UK. It consists of two villages; the larger, Stratton St. Mary, is to the south, and the other, Stratton St. Michael, is to the north. It is home to a substantial population of 3,701 (Census 2001). [cite web |url=http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=3&b=797099&c=NR15+2RR&d=16&e=15&g=472044&i=1001x1003x1004&m=0&enc=1&dsFamilyId=779 |title=Neighbourhood Statistics for Long Stratton CP (Parish) - Headcount Statistics
accessdate=2007-01-02 |format=html |work=2001 United Kingdom Census ]

Location

The village is situated half-way between the regional capital, Norwich and the market town of Diss; along the Roman built road, the A140 (once know as Pye Street [ [approx 12 miles from norwich] [http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Gazetteer/Periods/Roman/Topics/Engineering/roads/Britain/_Texts/CODROM/6*.html#5 LacusCurtius • Codrington's Roman Roads in Britain — Chapter 6 ] ] ) - which runs from Cromer (North Norfolk) to Ipswich (Suffolk).

Long Stratton borders five other parishes: Tharston and Hapton, Tasburgh, Morning Thorpe, Pulham Market, Wacton.

History

One of the ancient parishes that make up the modern village of Long Stratton was served by St Michael's church, whose rector from 1779 to 1823, Francis Wickham Swanton, was an Oxford contemporary of the celebrated Parson James Woodforde.

Village Demographics

According to the 2001 United Kingdom Census, Long Stratton CP is home to 3,701 people, who reside in a total of 1,598 dwellings, and have a mean age of 38.63.The statistics further confirm that Long Stratton is used as a commuter village, with the average employed person traveling 17.25 miles to their place of work. [cite web |url=http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadDatasetList.do?a=3&b=797099&c=NR15+2RR&d=16&g=472044&i=1001x1003&m=0&enc=1&domainId=15 |title=Neighbourhood Statistics for Long Stratton CP (Parish) |accessdate=2007-01-02 |format=html |work=2001 United Kingdom Census ]

Bypass proposals

There has been cause for the building of a bypass around Long Stratton for over 60 years. Builders of the new "Churchfields" housing estate to the east of the village proposed to build a bypass as part of the submission for planning permission in the mid-1990's, though this was rejected by the Highways Agency on the grounds that the planned road was not of a sufficiently high standard to redesignate it as part of the main A140 Trunk Road.

2006 was supposed to bring about the construction of the new bypass by Norfolk County Council, who had assumed responsibility for the A140 from the Highways Agency in 2001 [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/media/images/38260000/jpg/_38260051_bypass150.jpgLong Stratton Residents in 1996 protesting for a bypass] ("BBC News")] .

There was considerable opposition to the bypass on either side of the A140, (by residents of the village of Tharston to the west, and those of the hamlet of Wood Green Common to the east. Eventually, it was decided that a bypass to the east would have less environmental impact.

The total cost of the three miles stretch of dual carriageway, with a roundabout at either end, was estimated to be £21.8m "(2004)" - compared to earlier estimates of £6m to £16m ("2002").

Following the May 2005 elections, the planning suffered a one year delay, when changes to the planning permission laws meant that the application for the permission of the bypass had to be resubmitted.

Subsequent changes to the way in which local road building projects are prioritised and funded have led to a decision to suspend construction of the bypass until 2016 at the earliest, despite Norfolk County Council already having spent over £1m on site preparation & legal fees. This led local resident Jason Bunn to establish an online petition on the Prime Minister's website calling for the funding to be made available immediately. Local MP Richard Bacon also joined in the campaign, lobbying Transport Secretary Alistair Darling and Roads Minister Stephen Ladyman for a change in the decision.

Facilities and amenities

The village accommodates three schools first known as: Long Stratton First School, St. Mary's Middle School, and [http://www.lshs.org.uk Long Stratton High School] . However, in September 2006, 'Long Stratton first school' became 'Long Stratton infant school' and 'St. Mary's middle school' became 'St. Mary's church of England junior school'. Shops are located in two small shopping centres (South Norfolk Shopping Precinct and The Icehouse Precinct - so called because it was built adjacent to the Victorian icehouse belonging to Long Stratton Manor) as well as along the main street. Recently, a Co-op has been built in the centre of the village (see right) as well as a new Doctors Surgery, a lighting shop and a tattooist.

Long Stratton has two Church of England churches (St Mary and St Michael), as well as a Methodist church. The church of Long Stratton St Mary (see right) is one of 124 existing round-tower churches in Norfolk.

The village has also seen the creation of two new housing estates for the new millennium, increasing the village population and size.

References

External links

* [http://www.longstrattonvillagehall.co.uk/ Long Stratton Village Hall] Village Hall website with contact details and booking enquiry form.
* [http://www.roundtowerchurches.de/Karte/D5/Long_Stratton_St_Mary/long_stratton_st_mary.html Website with photos of Long Stratton St Mary] , a round-tower church
* [http://longstratton.org.uk/ Long Stratton Community Forum (www.longstratton.org.uk)] A place to discuss local issues with like-minded people.
* [http://www.dissexpress.co.uk/ Diss Express] - village's local newspaper website
* [http://www.origins.org.uk/genuki/NFK/places/l/long_stratton/ Information from Genuki Norfolk] on Long Stratton.
* [http://www.longstrattonfootball.com/ Long Stratton Football Club] Long Stratton F.C. now has two men's teams, two youth teams and a ladies side. The Club's official website has all the latest news from the club.