After two years of extensive discussions with Norwich City Council, including consultation and exhibitions with the local community, housebuilder Weston Homes, in conjunction with landowner and retail expert Columbia Threadneedle, have now formally submitted a hybrid planning application for the regeneration of Anglia Square, currently a substantial under-occupied and underutilised north Norwich site.
The planning submission consists of an outline application for the whole of Anglia Square, and a detailed application for the first phase of the scheme, representing a very large scale investment in Norwich City Centre.
Covering more than 1.2 million square feet, the proposals for Anglia Square consist of a series of striking buildings designed around two landscaped plazas, surrounded by new high quality landscaped public spaces including pedestrian boulevards, green squares, central courtyards, new trees and other plants, and cycle linkages across the site.
Under the proposals, the regenerated Anglia Square would provide over 1,200 much needed new homes, including a minimum of 120 on-site affordable homes for local households on lower incomes.
There would also be new retail floorspace, allowing for around 40 new retail units, providing a wide range of shops to meet local needs, including an anchor food store. Alongside this there would be a new 200 bed hotel with a range of facilities including a roof level bar and restaurant, and a new leisure quarter, centred on a replacement ground floor multi-screen cinema.
Surrey Chapel would also be provided with a brand new £2.5 million home within the development.
The architectural designs propose high quality buildings with expanses of glazing, balconies, rooftop terraces and feature detailing to the facades. There would be shops, restaurants and leisure at ground level, with homes above, with those on the uppermost floors offering panoramic views over Norwich City Centre. At night street lighting will illuminate the public realm.
There would also be a new multi-storey car park providing 600 shopper parking spaces, and the project allows for 75% of the homes to have residential parking. There would also be public artwork provision, with details to be agreed with the City Council.
The project would open up new views of the Anglican Cathedral and St Augustine’s Church and bring various benefits to Norwich. The plans for Anglia Square represent a substantial level of private sector investment into Norwich, with the mixture of uses generating new Council Tax revenue, new construction and permanent employment opportunities, and New Homes Bonus payments over four years.
There is also the potential to provide space for community use, including affordable business space, and the proposals allow for provisions to reduce parking ratio in later development phases, subject to the results of monitoring.
Bob Weston, Chairman & Chief Executive of Weston Homes, says:
Based on two years of extensive discussions with the City Council and local community the proposals for Anglia Square would transform it into a vibrant mixed use urban quarter.”
“Bringing inward investment and job creation, the regenerated site would help to further enhance the local community and compliment the existing city centre.”
Bob Weston continues:
Historically Anglia Square has been subject to several abandoned or stalled proposals.”
“We are committed to changing this and providing a successful future for the site. The value we bring is the fact that Weston Homes is a highly successful housebuilder of 30 years standing and we have the track record and financial stature to deliver on the proposals we have now submitted to Norwich City Council.”
Weston Homes will now await feedback on the proposals, and the company has confirmed that it is fully committed to working closely with Norwich City Council and the local community to create a viable future for the site.
Norwich is a Cathedral city and the county town of Norfolk, located on the River Wensum in East Anglia, approximately 100 miles (161km) north-east of London. An area steeped in history, it has Roman, Norman and Medieval roots and is famed for Norwich Cathedral. It is also an area rich in culture, boasting a number of theatres and museums, and in 2012 was designated England’s first UNESCO City of Literature.
Norwich has excellent transport links, with travel to London via train taking under two hours from Norwich Railway Station. Norwich stands north of the A47 (bypassed to the south of the city), which connects it with Great Yarmouth to the east, and Kings Lynn and Peterborough to the west. Norwich is linked to Cambridge via the A11, which leads to the M11 motorway for London and the M25.
