Draft Greater Norwich Local Plan – Part 1 The Strategy

Comment

Representation ID: 22964

Received: 13/03/2020

Respondent: Bidwells

Number of people: 2

Comments.
The Nationally Described Space Standards are only applicable to individual residential dwellings, and are not applicable to purpose built student accommodation. Accordingly, accordance with the space standards should not be sought for GNLP0133-C and GNLP0133-E.

Support

Representation ID: 22965

Received: 13/03/2020

Respondent: Bidwells

Number of people: 2

Support, with comments.
The UEA are supportive of the recognition in Policy 5 that development proposals for purpose-built student accommodation will be supported in accordance with the UEA DFS. Therefore, the principle of purpose built student accommodation on GNLP0133-C and GNLP0133-E is supported.
As outlined in Question 27, Policy 5 confirms that only purpose-built student accommodation constructed outside of the UEA Campus should provide affordable housing provision. It is supported that purpose-built student accommodation within the UEA Campus should not provide affordable housing.
Accordingly, within each Representation for GNLP0133-C and GNLP0133-E, proposed amendments to both preferred allocation’s are made, omitting reference to affordable housing provision.

Comment

Representation ID: 22966

Received: 13/03/2020

Respondent: Bidwells

Number of people: 2

The Greater Norwich Local Plan, Interim Viability Study, prepared by NPS Group (November 2019), only covers mainstream residential development, and not UEA related academic development or purpose-built student accommodation.

Notwithstanding this, the UEA are confident that the delivery of GNLP0133-B, GNLP0133-C, GNLP0133-D, GNLP0133-ER and GNLP0140-C are viable,having regards to the policy requirements of the draft GNLP, alongside no factors that UEA are aware of, at this moment in time, which could prevent delivery of these sites. However, given the duration of the plan period, it is important that there is sufficient flexibility within the plan to re-visit the viability of development projects/sites as they come forward and to reflect any changes in circumstances which could question the viability of fulfilling all policy requirements set out within the plan.

Support

Representation ID: 22984

Received: 13/03/2020

Respondent: Bidwells

Support, with comments.
The UEA are fully supportive of the Vision for Greater Norwich, which seeks to support a diverse low carbon economy which will compete globally though its world class knowledge-intensive jobs in the Cambridge Norwich Tech Corridor. Moreover, the UEA are supportive of the plan’s economic objectives of supporting the expansion of internally important knowledge-based industries in the Cambridge Norwich Tech Corridor, as part of an entrepreneurial, enterprising, creative economy.

Support

Representation ID: 22985

Received: 13/03/2020

Respondent: Bidwells

Support, with comments.
The requirement that sites should only be allocated for housing where, having regard to policy requirements, there is a reasonable prospect that housing can be delivered, fully accords with paragraph 67 of the NPPF.
As has been outlined within the Representations for the preferred allocations of GNLP0133-C and GNLP0133-E, both sites are suitable, available, achievable and viable, and are deliverable for student accommodation.
The submission of Delivery Plans as part of a planning applications is supported. The documents do, however, need to recognise that there may be unforeseen material changes in circumstances, which could impact upon the delivery of an allocation.

The Council’s approach to providing choice and flexibility in terms of housing growth by accommodating 9% more homes than are needed, along with contingency sites, is supported. This buffer will help maintain the supply and delivery of housing, which includes purpose built student accommodation, in accordance with the NPPF.

Support

Representation ID: 22986

Received: 13/03/2020

Respondent: Bidwells

Support, with comments.
The UEA are fully supportive of the fact that the identified growth offers the opportunity to strengthen Norwich’s role as a key part of the national economy, particularly through the Cambridge Norwich Tech Corridor.
The Delivery Statement recognises that strategic sites are identified to promote growth in the knowledge-intensive sectors. The identification of the preferred allocations of GNLP0133-B, GNLP0133-D and GNLP0140-C will directly help to promote growth in the knowledge-intensive sectors. The preferred allocations of GNLP0133-C and GNLP0133-E, which are for predominantly student accommodation, will help support the role of enhancing the UEA, with the overarching purpose of promoting growth in the knowledge-based sectors.

Support

Representation ID: 22987

Received: 13/03/2020

Respondent: Bidwells

Support, with comments.

Whilst there is support, in principle, for the proposed approach to infrastructure, particularly the need for key stakeholders to work collaboratively, the Delivery Statement should make it clear that infrastructure requirements will be proportionate to each development and based on clear assessments of need. Failure to do this will result in certain developments being financially unviable and, therefore, undeliverable.

Support

Representation ID: 22988

Received: 13/03/2020

Respondent: Bidwells

Support, with comments.

UEA are supportive of the consideration being given to ensuring that development is created to be resilient to the impacts of climate change. The UEA boasts some of the best climatic research in the country, being a leader in the field of environmental research, and is committed to replicating this success in how the campus and surrounding environment is managed and developed.

Following on from adopting a low energy/carbon agenda in the early 1990s, the UEA has sought to develop the campus in a way that reduces environmental impacts, through long-term planning. Examples of the UEA’s dedication to achieving low carbon development is The Enterprise Centre, which is the first large-scale building to achieve both Passivhaus Certification and BREEAM Outstanding, which result in it being one of the UK’s most sustainable academic buildings.

Accordingly, the design principles encompassed in the Climate Change Statement are supported. It will be sought, where viable and achievable to do so, to design GNLP0133-B, GNLP0133-C, GNLP0133-D, GNLP0133-E, and GNLP0140-C, to low carbon standards.

Support

Representation ID: 22989

Received: 13/03/2020

Respondent: Bidwells

Support, with comments
The proposed Settlement Hierarchy and the identification of the UEA as part of the Norwich Urban Area is supported. The UEA is a world class research university, being a leader in creative writing, life and environmental sciences. The presence of the UEA in Norwich has significantly contributed to Norwich’s recent economic, social and cultural growth. The UEA’s presence has enabled Norwich to attract many young, skilled workers to the area and, importantly, helped retain them locally.
Therefore, the UEA support the scale of growth directed to the Norwich Urban Area, including 4,395 new dwellings. Development on GNLP0133-C and GNLP0133-E will help to support and meet a particular area of housing growth in the Norwich Urban Area.

Support

Representation ID: 22990

Received: 13/03/2020

Respondent: Bidwells

Support, with comments.
For reasons outlined in relation to Question 12, the UEA fully support the identification of the Norwich Urban Area as a location to accommodate additional growth.