Norwich City Council set to reject Carrow Works project

The city council is expected to reject plans to build the properties, along with business premises, on 40 acres of land in Carrow where Colman's Mustard was previously based.

The likely demise of the project follows a breakdown in communications between City Hall and the developer Fuel Properties.

Officials have raised concerns about the development's environmental impact, the lack of affordable homes and pressure on local services, which they say the company has not addressed.

The collapse of the scheme would be another major blow for City Hall and raise serious questions over its housing strategy, coming just weeks after a similar proposed development at Anglia Square was scrapped by its developers.

Councillors are due to meet on Thursday to decide on whether to give permission to Fuel to build a total of 1,859 new homes at Carrow Works.

The Carrow Works site in Norwich (Image: Fuel Properties)The development is part of the council's flagship East Norwich Masterplan, under which 3,000 homes and 4,000 jobs will be created at Carrow and neighbouring sites in Trowse.

However, it has emerged City Hall planning officers are recommending the council rejects the Carrow application.

WHAT IS ON THE SITE?

The largely vacant site was home to the Colman’s Mustard factory for more than 160 years and contains several listed structures.

This includes Grade I listed Carrow Abbey, which has the remains of a Benedictine priory dating back to the 11th century within its grounds.

Carrow Abbey could be turned into housing (Image: Newsquest)Historic England said the plans would see a "high level of harm" caused to Carrow Abbey and other listed buildings on the site, adding that it had "serious concerns" about plans to demolish the attached dining hall and replace it with housing.

The abbey itself, once home to the Colman family but last used as a conference centre, would be turned into three new properties.

COMMUNICATION BREAKDOWN

The redevelopment of the Carrow Works site, which was expected to cost more than £460m, was initially proposed in July 2022. 

The details were finally revealed by Fuel the following summer.

The Carrow Works site in Norwich (Image: Fuel Properties)Planning officers at City Hall have said the delay in processing the application was due to difficulties in obtaining outstanding documentation from the developers.

In their report to councillors, they said: "The application has been considered in the extremely disappointing context that since its initial submission the applicant and their project team have not been in a position to discuss, negotiate or amend their proposals in any way.

"This situation is reflected in the significant number of objections and comments of concern from a large number of the consultees."

WHY HAVE THE PLANS BEEN REJECTED?

Concerns were raised by transport, healthcare and education authorities, which said the development would have a significant strain on local services.

Other issues noted in the report to the council include a "total lack" of affordable housing within the plans and insufficient evidence regarding the environmental impact of the project. 

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Colman's Carrow Works in 1960 (Image: Archant)The former industrial site is a key part of the East Norwich Masterplan, which could see more than 3,000 homes and 4,000 jobs created in four locations.

The other designated development areas are the Deal Ground and May Gurney sites in Trowse, plus the Utilities site near Whitlingham. 

COUNCIL WOES

The expected demise of the scheme comes as Norwich City Council are still grappling with how to respond to the recent collapse of the Anglia Square development.

That £300m revamp would have seen up to 1,100 new homes built, along with office, retail and leisure space, but was no longer deemed to be financially viable by the developer.

Mike Stonard, leader of Norwich City Council, is already talking to government officials to explore the possibility of a grant to cover the entire cost of purchasing the Anglia Square site. 

The Anglia Square site (Image: Denise Bradley)A spokesman for Norwich City Council said: “We remain firmly committed to redeveloping the Carrow Works as part of our wider plans to regenerate the east Norwich area.

“It is regrettable that we consider it necessary to recommend refusing the application. This is because the application is clearly contrary to the policies set out within the newly adopted Greater Norwich Local Plan.

“There has also been a lack of progress and proper engagement with the planning department since the application was initially submitted in 2022.

“We are the greatest supporter of developers who submit planning applications with proposals to substantially grow and develop different parts of the city, particularly those in need of regeneration.

“We fully supported, and provided expert advice to the developer, Fuel Properties, throughout the planning application process to maximise its chances of submitting a thorough and comprehensive planning application.

“We will continue to work with site owners throughout east Norwich to unlock the full potential of this important area to ensure we play our part in delivering positive outcomes to the lives of our residents, businesses and our city.

“The report sets out 23 detailed points of serious concern relating to housing, employment and retail, heritage, design, transport, biodiversity and flood risk, among others. We also received significant objections from key statutory consultees including Norfolk County Council and Historic England.”

A spokesman for Fuel Properties said: “Fuel Properties has worked diligently and tirelessly with the council, with the adaptation of our plans for the site being reflective of these conversations.

“We are aligned in our ambition for the provision of much-needed sustainable housing that has long-term benefits for the local community and its economy, and are disappointed at this outcome.”