Plans for more than 50 new riverside homes, on what was once a crucial site for Norwich's telephone system, have been lodged.

Proposals for the homes in Westwick Street, next to the River Wensum, have been submitted to Norwich City Council by developers McCarthy Stone.

The developers, also behind the retirement flats built off Bluebell Road in Eaton, are seeking permission for a mix of 51 one-and-two-bedroom apartments.

They say the retirement living complex would be set within landscaped outdoor gardens, with 32 on-site car parking spaces.

The developers carried out a public consultation on the initial proposals in the autumn and said 88pc of those who got involved expressed support for the plans.

Katie Fisher, divisional managing director, said: "Constructive feedback has been integral to informing our planning application and the supportive comments highlight the real need for this type of accommodation in the local area."

The site was previously home to the BT Telephone Exchange, which was demolished in 2020 when previous, now scrapped, plans to build 42 homes there were agreed.

Norwich Evening News: The former, now demolished, telephone exchange which used to be in Norwich's Westwick StreetThe former, now demolished, telephone exchange which used to be in Norwich's Westwick Street (Image: Simon Finlay)

That 1950s-built building had played a vital role in keeping people in Norwich connected.

All telephone traffic used to be carried over copper conductors in telephone cables.

But because copper wire is resistant to electrical signals, the power of the signals diminishes over distance.

To help make long-distance calls audible, amplification was needed – which is what happened at the Westwick Street telephone repeater station.

But the development of modern optic cables rendered such stations redundant.

A decision on whether to grant planning permission will be made in due course.

However, there could be a delay as Norwich City Council has been blocked from approving housing schemes since March.

That is due to a directive from Natural England, amid concerns about nutrients harming species in waterways, including the River Wensum.

Developers are having to prove their schemes would not increase phosphates in the catchment areas of rivers and broads - and to provide mitigation to prevent that from happening.