Since securing a resolution to grant planning permission from Norwich City Council in April, Weston Homes has been liaising with stakeholders. It has agreed the final form of the Section 106 agreement with the council and believes itself to be on the verge of secuign full planning consent.
The controversial scheme will see the demolition of a 1960s shopping centre and the construction of 1,100 new homes ranging across buildings of between three and eight storeys, designed around inner courtyards, a public square and a pedestrian precinct.
Earlier plans with a 20-storey tower were thrown out by the then secretary of state Robert Jenrick despite a public inquiry resulting in the planning inspector backing the scheme. Weston then revised its plans for the 4.65-hectare (11.5-acre) scheme.
At the end of this month Weston Homes expects to be updated by Homes England on its stance on the project, and this will then enable further liaison with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities (DLUHC). These regulatory processes are anticipated to be finished by the end of October 2023, enabling Weston Homes to look at starting work on the redevelopment of Anglia Square early in 2024.
Once the planning approval is formalised, Weston Homes will take over ownership of the Anglia Square site from current landowner Columbia Threadneedle.
The first phase of development will see the demolition of the multi-storey car park, unused since 2012, with the cinema block anticipated to be demolished next, towards the end of 2024, with Sovereign House to follow in 2026.
During the construction period the development will create circa 2,211 direct construction jobs, Weston says.
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