Ambitious plans for land in East Norwich to become the biggest regeneration project in the East of England are set to move a step forward.
Norwich City Council’s Cabinet is being asked to approve stage 2 of the East Norwich Masterplan at its meeting on 8 June.
The masterplan is central to driving forward the regeneration of this part of the city, providing a framework for the transformation of three brownfield sites into a new riverside, mixed use urban quarter for Norwich – offering about 3,600 new homes and 4,000 new jobs. It is one of Norwich’s eight Town Deal funded projects.
The area will also deliver a community hub, providing a two-form entry primary school, health facilities, neighbourhood shops and other local services, as well as green spaces and water-based activities. The land earmarked for development is mainly privately owned, apart from Carrow House, which was bought by the city council last year.
Importantly, the regeneration will provide public access to some of Norwich’s rich heritage – including the former Colman’s factory site and its wealth of listed buildings.
The development of the masterplan is being led by the East Norwich Partnership, a public-private group led by Norwich City Council and chaired by Cllr Mike Stonard. The partnership includes landowners, relevant local authorities and key agencies including Homes England, the government’s housing and regeneration agency, and Network Rail. It has committed more than £700,000 to the masterplan process.
“The large, and available, sites at East Norwich offer more than 50 ha of land, providing a rare and exciting opportunity to redevelop a now mostly disused, but important part of the city, right on the doorstep of the Broads,” said Cllr Stonard.
“The proposals have moved forward significantly, and momentum is being accelerated by all those involved who are keen to see this vision for homes, employment and leisure realised, creating a new vibrant and sustainable urban quarter adjacent to the city centre.”
The ambition is to create a new urban quarter, which uses low energy solutions, provides good-quality walking, cycling and public transport links to the city and the Broads and provides a good mix of housing types and tenures. The creation of the masterplan will also ensure flood mitigation, climate resilience and green infrastructures are designed into the proposals from the start.
As well as approving the masterplan, the city council’s Cabinet will also be asked to agree to a further stage of the work, led by Homes England, in conjunction with the city council, to accelerate the regeneration of East Norwich.
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