Historic England have objected to the newly submitted renovation plans for Anglia Square.
Tony Calladine, Historic England’s East of England regional director, said: “the scale, mass and architectural character in present proposals would be fundamentally at odds with the historic city of Norwich”.
“We want to see a development at Anglia Square that is worthy of the city of Norwich and which complements its historic character”.
What is happening with Anglia Square?
A new planning application for Anglia Square has been submitted- and the 20-storey building has been scrapped.
The original redevelopment plan for the space was submitted back in 2018 and approved by Norwich City Council.
However, it was rejected by Secretary of State Robert Jenrick because of the height of the buildings. Historic England also objected the proposal stating it would ruin the view of Norwich’s historic buildings such as the Cathedral and the Town Hall.
Independent retailers on Magdalen Street, where Anglia Square is located, are welcoming the renovation, as they hope it will attract more people to the area and increase business.
What are the new development plans for Anglia Square?
Weston Homes new proposal for the regeneration of Anglia Square will create 1,200 new homes- including apartments and affordable homes for those on lower incomes. Historic England believe that the number of new homes should stop at 800.
There will still be a commercial area for shopping and entertainment under this new proposal. 40 retail units, a new leisure centre, and a ground floor multi-screen cinema are included.
The construction of the redevelopment is expected to create 411 jobs, and the retail sector after construction is complete will create around 288 jobs.
The scrapping of the 20-storey building means there will now only be 450 car parking spaces for residential use, which will include electric vehicle charging points.
The news proposal will be discussed at a future Norwich City Council planning committee. A recent direction by Natural England means planning permissions involving housing in Norwich are currently delayed.
Councils in Norfolk were informed that they could not grant permission to any proposals that included “overnight stay” until they can prove that it would not result in phosphates flowing into the River Wensum and the Broads.
