Draft Local Plan-Part 2 Site Allocations

Object

Representation ID: 21987

Received: 17/03/2020

Respondent: Tombland Bookshop / Co-chair Cathedral, Magdalen and St. Augustine’s Forum

CMSA objects to the designation of the Anglia Square site for 1200 housing units. This represents an over-densification of the site, and one that fails to take account of the principally mid-rise nature of this part of the city centre, its heritage context, and the mixed use and fine grain nature of the surrounding areas, which is emerging as Norwich’s creative and digital industries quarter.

The proposal to designate this are for 1200 residential units flies in the face of the very high level of local opposition to a scheme of this nature both at the consultation stage prior to the Planning Officer recommending permission in his report, and at the Public Inquiry following the ministerial Call-In to the Columbia/Threadneedle and Weston Homes proposal. This plans to redevelop Anglia Square and adjacent sites in their ownership (18/00330/F). The Planning department recorded 483 comments of which 399 were against the hybrid development as against 62 in favour and 18 comments where the individual making a representation described him of herself as ‘neutral’

The separate Consultee objections included those of Historic England; The Norwich Society; Norwich Cycling Campaign and the Norwich BID. The two former bodies had indicated their strong opposition to the scheme in advice given at an earlier stage of the Planning Process.

These representations, and much of the evidence presented at the call-in suggest that the quantum of residential development proposed for the hybrid development application, which we note is being proposed as the allocation of residential units for the purposes of the Greater Norwich Local Plan, was plainly too great combined with that of commercial units to be sustainable on this site.

The proposed GNLP repeats the same inherent mistake in planning to have allowed a monstrous scheme of this scale in tis sensitive location. This does not conform to the requirement to allocate ‘sustainable development’ as set out in the NPPF. The recent Heathrow decision demonstrates the Government’s resolution to deliver on sustainable development, and we suggest that if the plan incorporates this intention in this location, then it will not meet the test of sustainability.

See attached for detail for full submission