The Greater Norwich Local Plan (GNLP) is being produced by Broadland District Council, Norwich City Council and South Norfolk Council.
They are working together with Norfolk County Council through the Greater Norwich Development Partnership (GNDP). The Broads Authority is also part of the GNDP but produces a separate local plan.
The GNLP, which has been publicly consulted on at regular stages, sets out a vision for growth and identifies sites for new homes, jobs and infrastructure while protecting the area’s unique environment and habitats.
The plan will provide the basis for planning decisions for the foreseeable future, providing opportunities for around 45,000 new homes to meet the needs for housing in both our urban and rural areas between 2018 and 2038. Around 9,000 of those homes have already been built. The plan also provides for around 33,000 new jobs, as well as for green spaces and additional infrastructure.
The Plan’s examination by the Government’s Planning Inspectorate is now close to being completed and the inspectors have reported that they are supportive of the great majority of the sites we submitted for inclusion in the plan. The inspectors have shared modifications to the plan that they would like to see the partnership make and those are the changes that are being consulted on. This is normal for a plan of this complexity and the changes requested are comparatively minor. Adoption of the plan will mean that Greater Norwich will have an up-to-date local plan with a clear and sustainable strategy and site allocations that will promote investment in our economy and provide the much-needed homes, jobs and infrastructure, including through the continued use of pooled Community Infrastructure Levy funding.
By confirming the ongoing commitment to plan-led joint working, it will also assist Greater Norwich in accessing national funding streams, especially for infrastructure and regeneration programmes. Importantly, proposed revisions to national policy, if enacted as recently stated by government, should mean that for five years after adoption of the plan, there would be no need to annually demonstrate a five-year land supply for Greater Norwich. This would significantly reduce the pressure to grant permissions for non-allocated housing sites and further increase the benefits of having an adopted plan. The consultation will end at midday on Wednesday 6 December 2023.
Where you can view the consultation documents
The consultation documents will be available to view on the GNLP website. Hard copies will be available for public viewing during normal office hours at the following locations:
- Broadland District Council and South Norfolk Council offices, The Horizon Centre, Broadland Business Park, Peachman Way, Norwich NR7 0WF. Monday to Friday 8:30am to 5pm (by appointment).
- Contact the GNLP team using the details below to make an appointment.
You can also view the consultation documents in Norfolk libraries using their computers.
How to make representations
The preferred way, and the easiest and most efficient, is to receive representations online using the consultation system on the GNLP website. Alternatively, you can submit a response form by email or post: either download a response form from the website or contact the team by email to gnlp@norfolk.gov.uk or by telephone on 01603 306603 to request one.
Promoted by Jan Davis, 21 Church Rd., Cantley, Norwich, NR13 3SN, on behalf of Broadland Green Party, a constituent party of the Green Party of England & Wales
