Examiner approves remitted parts of Greater Norwich Core Strategy

The joint plan for the Greater Norwich Development Partnership (GNDP) was adopted in 2011. However, following a legal challenge to the plan, a High Court judge ordered that the parts of the Core Strategy involving the Broadland part of the Norwich Policy Area (NPA) were remitted for reconsideration and that a new Sustainability Appraisal for that part of the NPA should be prepared.

The Councils submitted a revised plan for Broadland in February. The plan provides for 9,000 additional homes and 25 hectare of employment land in the Broadland part of the NPA.  The wider joint Core Strategy provides for 37,000 homes and 27,000 jobs in Broadland, Norwich and South Norfolk.

The Inspector concluded in his report (22-page / 168KB PDF) that, subject to a number of modifications, the plan provides "an appropriate basis for the planning of the area up to 2026". His recommended modifications included the introduction of a new policy to ensure the delivery of housing land if there is a later "significant shortfall".

Norwich City Council leader and GNDP chair Brenda Arthur welcomed the Inspector's decision. “It means we can deliver the development and infrastructure needed in Greater Norwich in a strategic and sustainable way, resulting in the provision of the homes and jobs we need to meet our economic aspirations and provide the city and county with a prosperous future,” she said in a statement.

The GNDP said it expected the plan to be considered for adoption by the individual authorities in early 2014.