Description
This strategic brownfield regeneration site of 2.07 hectares has been cleared of its former brewery buildings. Historically it was the site of a monastery and church until sixteenth century and then during the nineteenth century a Jewish Synagogue and residential street named ‘Synagogue Street’. The only remaining building is the at-risk grade II* listed seventeenth century building of Howard House, in the north-west corner of the site. A strategic pedestrian and cycle link, currently routed along St Ann Lane, crosses the south of the site to Lady Julian Bridge, linking the leisure and retail area of Riverside with the primary retail area at Castle Mall.
The site is adjacent to a mix of uses to the north and west, and a mix of offices and light industrial and residential development to the north-east. The River Wensum is to the east of the site, and small scale industrial uses, allocated for housing redevelopment under policy CC7 in this plan, lie to the south.
The site is located within the King Street character area of the City Centre Conservation Area. The King Street area has historically significant buildings interspersed with former industrial buildings. The area is undergoing significant change as many of the buildings formerly associated with industry and the river are either being replaced or converted, mostly into residential use.
As well as Howard House within the site, there are a number of listed buildings on King Street neighbouring the site. The grade I listed building of Dragon Hall dating from the twelfth century onwards, is south-west of the site, and two further neighbouring listed buildings currently suffer from a poor setting. There is a cluster of listed and locally listed buildings north of Howard House. This northern part of King Street, partly thanks to recent conversions and investment, forms a coherent townscape.
Explanatory text
The JCS identifies this large, strategic site as being within an area for comprehensive regeneration with a focus on residential with some office development and improvements to the public realm. It is within the office and leisure areas of the city centre.
Redevelopment of the site offers the opportunity to make better use of this valuable city centre site and to continue the development of a vibrant mixed use quarter in King Street, extending office, housing and tourism/leisure uses close to Dragon Hall and completing the strategic pedestrian and cycle link between Riverside and the rest of the city centre.
Design should take account of the City centre conservation area appraisal and particularly the retention of key views into and out of the site towards the river and the castle. Development must restore Howard House to a viable use and enhance the setting of Dragon Hall and other listed buildings. The historic street frontage of King Street should be reinstated at a scale sympathetic to existing buildings on King Street. The development should also take account of the adjacent Rose Lane/Mountergate (CC4) and Hobrough Lane (CC7) redevelopments. As there is a shortage of children’s play facilities in the area, on-site provision will be required.
Appropriate historic interpretation information should be incorporated into the development and an archaeological assessment will be required.
In this highly accessible city centre location, car free housing could be provided. Vehicular access should be primarily made from Mountergate. Development should deliver shared surface paving and public realm improvements along the frontage to King Street as part of the scheme, with a continuation of the strategy adopted on King Street. Permanent closure of Mountergate to vehicles must also be part of the development.
The strategic pedestrian cycle link is integral to the design of the development, preferably taking the most direct route between Lady Julian Bridge and St Peter Parmentergate church along King Street or through the site. Public open space (in the region of 1200 square metres in size) and a riverside walk should also be provided as part of the development.
Although there are no Tree Preservation Orders on the site, an assessment will have to be undertaken of the value of trees on the river frontage, with appropriate mitigation measures included in any planning application.
As part of the site is within flood zone 2, it could be affected by fluvial flooding. In addition, as it is located between the Ber Street ridge and the river Wensum it could be affected by surface water flooding. Since the site is over 1 hectare, a flood risk assessment is required and appropriate mitigation measures should be provided as part of the development.
This site lies adjacent to the River Wensum. A written consent from the Environment Agency is required for proposed works or structures, in, under, over or within 9 metres of the top of the bank of a designated ‘main river’. It is recommended that developers engage in early discussions with the Environment Agency.
Development needs to ensure that the water environment is protected. The site falls within Source Protection Zone 1, designated to protect water supplies, and therefore the water environment is particularly vulnerable in this location. Detailed discussions over this issue will be required with the Environment Agency to ensure that proposals are appropriate for the site and that the site is developed in a manner which protects the water environment.
Deliverability
The site is in a single ownership and is suitable and available for development within the plan period and has the capacity to deliver in the region of 300 dwellings.
This site has planning permission for mixed use development including provision of 437 dwellings and A1, A2, A3 and D2 uses, implemented by virtue of the construction of Lady Julian Bridge.
​POLICY CC6: St Anne’s Wharf and adjoining land – mixed use development
The site of 2.07 hectares is allocated for comprehensive mixed use development. To achieve this, the development:
- will be mainly residential (approximately 300 dwellings), including some family housing, with offices;
- may include other uses such as culture, leisure and/or food and drink, hotel and tourist uses, particularly at ground floor level along key routes through the site;
- will provide an enhanced public realm, including a public open space, play space, pedestrian/cycle links to Lady Julian Bridge, a riverside walk as an integral element of the design, and a high quality streetscape on the part of King Street fronting the development;
- will recreate street frontages and enhance the setting of on-site and neighbouring listed buildings, including restoring Howard House.
