362 homes in east Norwich unlikely to come forward by 2038

A total of 362 have been scrapped from the Greater Norwich Local Plan (GNLP) as the Planning Inspectorate, which examines major building schemes, said that Norwich City Council cannot ensure that they will be built within the next 15 years.

The GNLP aims to build almost 50,000 homes in and around Norwich by 2038, which means that the cut properties could be built after this date.  

The houses were due to be part of the plan called the East Norwich Masterplan (ENM), which is expected to create a new quarter of the city, with some 3,362 homes and 4,000 jobs. 

It covers four main areas - Carrow Works, home of the former Colman's and Britvic factories; the Deal Ground and May Gurney sites; and the Utilities site near Whitlingham. 

Whitlingham from the air (PICTURE: Mike Page) (Image: Mike Page)

In a letter to Norwich City Council officials, the inspectors said: “In the light of the evidence presented to us, we consider that the capacity of the site for the plan period should be around 3,000.  

“This is principally because we consider that there is no convincing evidence before us that the Utilities site is likely to come forward in the plan period.” 

A spokeswoman for Norwich City Council said the east Norwich redevelopment remained on track, describing it as "ambitious and sustainable".

She said: “Our understanding is that the planning inspectors, employed by central government, are proposing a minor readjustment of about 11pc in the original estimated housing figures.

"This is largely due to technical planning matters – something which is very typical in redevelopment sites of this scale and ambition when moving from the proposal stage into practical and tangible housing delivery.

“Redevelopment of this part of the city into a thriving new urban quarter remains on track and represents an amazing opportunity for the wider city.”