Description
The site is located on the corner of King Street and Music House Lane and is 0.19 hectares in size.
The site has been cleared for development. It is surrounded by residential development to its west and south, and is opposite the Waterfront music venue. The site is in a sustainable and accessible location, being within walking distance of the railway station and city centre. It is immediately adjacent to the proposed Norwich cycling network, which runs along King Street and Music House Lane.
The King Street area is mixed in character, with some very important old domestic buildings interspersed with more recent industrial buildings. There are many listed and locally listed buildings along the length of the street. King Street is an area of change, with many buildings formerly associated with industry or the river being replaced or converted, many of these for residential use.
Explanatory text
The JCS promotes the city centre as the main focus in the sub-region for retail, leisure and office development, with housing and educational development also adding to the vibrancy of the centre. The key diagram for the city centre identifies the site as being within an ‘area of change’ where the focus of change is through mixed use development including commercial and residential development.
King Street has been promoted as a regeneration priority by the council for a number of years, and continues to undergo significant change as many older industrial buildings are replaced or converted, many into residential use. The ongoing regeneration and enhancement of the area, including reinstatement of many building lines and reuse of traditional buildings, will create a more cohesive townscape and a strategically important area linking Riverside with the city centre.
The site is currently vacant and contributes to a visually fragmented street frontage. Development of this site will help reinstate the street frontage of King Street and help achieve regeneration in the wider King Street area.
Redevelopment of the site must address a number of constraints including its location within the City Centre Conservation Area, the Area of Main Archaeological Interest and noise from the Waterfront music venue opposite the site. Development will need to be of an appropriate scale in relation to surrounding buildings, enhance the setting of neighbouring listed and locally listed buildings, and contribute to the enhancement of the conservation area. Its design should contribute to an improved public realm and streetscape. A flood risk assessment is required prior to development.
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
This site has an existing planning permission for residential development with a ground floor commercial unit on the corner of King Street and Music House Lane. This site is suitable and available for development within the plan period.
POLICY CC9: 144 – 162 King Street
The land at 144-162 King Street is allocated for mixed use development to include a minimum of 15 dwellings, and may include small scale retail or commercial units at ground floor level.
Design of the development will ensure that it:
- recreates street frontage to King Street;
- is of an appropriate scale in relation to surrounding buildings; and
- contributes to the enhancement of the conservation area.
A noise assessment is required and the scheme must be designed to mitigate noise impact from the Waterfront music venue.
