Weston Homes has gained a Resolution to Grant Planning Permission for their new hybrid (part full/part outline) planning application made to Norwich City Council for the redevelopment of the 4.65 hectare (11.5 acre) Anglia Square site in Norwich.
The regenerated Anglia Square will provide for up to 1,100 homes of mixed tenure ranging across buildings from three to eight storeys, which are designed around inner courtyards, a public square and a network of pedestrian streets, and up to 8,000 sq m (86,111 sq ft) of non-residential floorspace in addition to a community hub, community hall, new employment floorspace for a range of businesses, public toilets and accessible changing place facility. There will be up to 450 car parking spaces, 1,888 new cycle bays, a North/South cycle path through the site, the planting of around 200 new trees, 1.2km of new hedging and ecological features.
There will be feature piers and residential front doors opening onto the streets and the pedestrian lanes and squares will feature large format paving in design patterns complimentary to Norwich complete with street furniture, planting, trees and lighting.
Bob Weston, Chairman & Managing Director of Weston Homes, said: “Weston Homes is delighted by the Resolution to Grant Planning which underlines the creation of a local ‘Grounded in Norwich’ scheme, designed by the local community of Norwich. We have learnt so much from this project, through going back to the drawing board, consulting locally and designing a domestic scale scheme with features led by the aspirations of the people of Norwich rather than Weston Homes. We are looking forward to beginning the delivery of this fantastic new development for the people of Norwich.”
As part of the local consent, Weston Homes will now take over ownership of the Anglia Square site from current landowner Columbia Threadneedle.
Following the Secretary of State’s previous decision to call in and overturn the local planning consent on the previous proposals for Anglia Square, Weston Homes “returned to the drawing board” and designed a new scheme from scratch, addressing the key issues raised by the Secretary of State and undertaking extensive local community and key stakeholder consultation including seven major public exhibitions.
There is now a 35% reduction in the overall floorspace of the development, the tallest building in the new scheme is 8 storeys tall, 12 storeys less than the original 20 storey tower, and 52% of the residential dwellings are dual aspect, compared to 30% dual aspect previously.
During the construction period the development will create circa 2,211 direct construction jobs and related employment with the complete project providing circa 288 jobs in the retail and other commercial premises.
