After eight years of work, the Greater Norwich Local Plan (GNLP) has now been adopted.
The GNLP will guide planning over the next 14 years, setting out a vision for the area and identifying sites for homes, jobs and infrastructure.
It has been the work of Broadland District Council, Norwich City Council and South Norfolk Council 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 provides opportunities for around 45,000 new homes between 2018 and 2038. Around 9,000 have already been built. The plan also provides for around 33,000 new jobs, as well as for green spaces and additional local infrastructure.
It is expected the plan will help Greater Norwich access national funding streams, especially for major infrastructure and regeneration programmes.
Chair of the GNDP Cllr Lord Fuller said: “Having an up-to-date local plan has never been more important now that it provides protection against unwanted and unexpected speculative planning applications in the wrong places.
“This decision protects communities from unplanned applications and gives confidence that the building of new homes is delivered alongside infrastructure and community facilities.
“The plan allows for the protection of separations between settlements, country parks and landscape protections. It unlocks the building of new schools and surgeries. And sustains village life with measured development in our villages whilst concentrating the bulk of new homes closer to the city with its job opportunities and facilities.
“It’s the culmination of eight years of work which allowed the councils to winnow-out 90 per cent of housing applications asked-for by landowners to focus on 10,000 which are close to transport and education facilities, town centres and transport hubs, whilst avoiding flood zones and county wildlife sites. It’s a plan that we can be proud of and one which maintains this area as one of the best places to live in the country.”
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