GNLP 2045 Regulation 20 Scoping Consultation

It will be important that a wide variety of new jobs and businesses are created and supported within Norwich and the surrounding area in the future. Policy E2 1 a) of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) identifies a number of future business and employment sectors which are important to meet the needs of a modern economy, including gigafactories, data centres, digital infrastructure, freight and logistics. New development plans should identify areas suitable areas for these sectors to locate.

Norwich already has a good range of employment opportunities and diverse business sectors, and is well located on the national strategic road network (A11), with a mainline train station and a substantial number of bus routes. It is considered that Norwich could continue to support the types of growth sectors identified within the NPPF, and there are significant opportunities to deliver the right type types and mixes of flexible and adaptable commercial spaces within and surrounding the city , strengthen skills and workforce development and support small businesses and start ups.

Both the two sites ('Land at the former GPSS Site, Land South of Hethersett Bypass (A11), Hethersett', Call for Sites 2026 ID 25911) and ('Land at Plane View, Holt Road, Norwich', Call for Sites 2026 ID 25914) are former commercial sites comprising brownfield land which are optimal for future confirmed commercial development/uses.

Planning policies should continue to support, and where necessary, protect existing City, Town, District and Local Centres. Consideration should be given to relaxing the requirements regarding the submission of Retail Impact Assessments and thresholds to introduce more flexibility in respect of retail/leisure proposals.

Local planning policies should support and encourage the ongoing development of tourism which responds sensitively to the local area. Tourism is identified as a growth sector with significant potential to help grow and develop the local economy.

As a regional centre, Norwich offers a full range of services, employment opportunities, and excellent transport links—including direct access to the national road network via the A11 and rail connections to London and Ipswich.

Development of the three site locations within the built up area of Norwich (Land at Dereham Road and Heigham Road, Call for Sites 2026 ref. 25927), and along key road corridors along the A11 (Land at the Former GPSS Site, Land South of the Hethersett Bypass (A11), Norfolk - Call for Sites 2026 ref. 25911) and the A140 (Land at Plane View, Holt Road, Norwich, Call for Sites ref. 25914) will further strengthen Norwich's strategic importance, enabling future residents to access jobs, assist with sustaining the existing and future local retail/leisure and community assets offer (including education, healthcare and community amenities/facilities), while supporting the local economy.

The Local Plan should seek to improve access to housing, employment, services sports and other community facilities by ensuring that such services come forward together with new built development where possible.

Policies should also support sufficient wastewater capacity, address nutrient neutrality and deliver clean power and net zero objectives where possible.

The delivery of reasonable/good standards for water efficiency, nature recovery, biodiversity enhancement, and green infrastructure should be secured via appropriately-worded planning policies. However, policies should not seek to repeat or require higher standards of the delivery of environmental standards which are required by other environmental regimes or legislation (such as a requirement of 10% uplift of Biodiversity Net Gain). Such an approach would be unreasonable and could led to many developments to become unviable and/or unworkable.

Well-designed and logical commercial development proposals at 'Land at Plane View, Holt Road, Norwich' and 'Land at the former GPSS Site, Land South of Ketteringham Bypass (A11), Hethersett and residential development proposals at ’Land Adjacent to 124 Dereham Road and 73 Heigham Road, Norwich' offer opportunities for well-designed commercial stand-alone and extension developments to Norwich, and infill residential development across the Greater Norwich Local Plan area. Each of the development proposals will respect and conserve the area’s heritage assets, while integrating new development into the townscape (with regards to .Land at Dereham Road/Heigham Road) and the surrounding local landscape (with regards to Holt Road and Land to the south of the Ketteringham Bypass (A11)).

There are no designated Scheduled Areas of Ancient Monument or Areas of Archaeological Potential found within each of the site areas. Any archaeological potential can be addressed through standard planning processes, including field evaluation and recording prior to development.

The growth and development of Norwich has evolved over many centuries. As a consequence, the city as a whole has a wide variety of uses, characters and appearances. However, the number and extent of heritage designations within the town, particularly the number of Conservation Areas, point to the fact that the town has historic areas which are valued and should be conserved as much as possible. It is noted that none of the Conservation Area Appraisals of the city advise that significant improvement and management works are required.

Moreover, it is understood that within Norwich City there a total of eighteen heritage assets on the Historic England’s ‘Buildings At Risk’ Register. This is clearly positive news and demonstrates there are very few poor or lesser quality aspects to the Norwich built form and heritage. [

The scope and detail of the proposed evidence studies appears to be appropriate and as required to support the preparation and formulation of a large, strategic and critically important Local Plan for a large city and surrounding area.

It is important that the Greater Norwich Local Plan organisation fully engages and consults with as wide and diverse groups of people, communities and stakeholders as possible during the course of the preparation of the Local Plan. Government guidance and advice contained within the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) advises that development plans should, amongst other things, ‘be shaped by early, proportionate and effective engagement between plan makers and communities, local organisations, businesses, infrastructure providers and operators and statutory consultees’.

It is recommended that the Councils make use of all of the opportunities to consult with as many residents, businesses, landowners and statutory consultees as possible. It will be particularly important to liaise with larger landowners within Plan area to ensure a sufficient amount of land in the right locations can be brought forward for development over the entire Plan period.

In light of the continued shortage of the delivery of new housing and the lack of affordability of properties in both the Norwich administrative areas, it is considered that existing residents which currently live in all of the districts should be particularly targeted for future consultations. To help existing residents and workers should be particularly targeted for their views in order to assist efforts to help them continue to live in the Greater Norwich area in the long term, and not seek to move away.

As noted in our earlier response, the lack of access to home ownership or rented accommodation opportunities is a particular issue for certain groups in the Plan area. Moreover, affordability is a particular challenge in Norwich and the surrounding districts.

A low supply of new homes, affordability pressures and an ageing population is making it increasingly difficult for young people, families, and key workers to secure suitable homes. These groups should be identified as the focus for future Council-organised Local Plan consultations so that their fundamental concerns can be understood and addressed.

N/A – It is not considered that there are any barriers that would make it difficult to take part in future consultations or events, especially if as many of the above consultation methods are undertaken by the Councils/Local Plan body as preparation of the Local Plan progresses.