Norwich: Hundreds of homes cut from 'ambitious' blueprint

The former May Gurney site in Trowse, on the edge of Norwich, is one of the areas that will be redeveloped under the blueprint

Hundreds of homes will have to be cut from a major building plan because it is too ambitious, government inspectors have said.

Norwich City Council must take 362 homes out of its Greater Norwich Local Plan (GNLP) according to the Planning Inspectorate, which examines major building schemes.

It said the council could not ensure they would be built within 15 years.

The council said the change was "very typical in redevelopment".

The houses were due to be built as part of an initial plan to create a new quarter in the east of the city, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) said.

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.

The GNLP aims to build almost 50,000 homes in and around Norwich by 2038.

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In a letter to city council officials, the inspectors said: "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 council spokeswoman said the east Norwich redevelopment remained on track.

"Our understanding is that the planning inspectors, employed by central government, are proposing a minor readjustment of about 11% in the original estimated housing figures," she said.

"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."