Planning inquiry now cancelled following withdrawal of application

IN THE MATTER OF: -

The Town & Country Planning Act 1990 – Section 77

Town & Country Planning (General Development

Procedure) Order 1995

Town & Country Planning (Residential Development

 on Greenfield Land) (England) Direction 2000

Town & Country Planning (Inquiries Procedure)

(England) Rules 2000

AND IN THE MATTER OF:-

Proposed Development of Hewett School Playing Fields,

Hall Road/ Lakenham Road, Norwich, Norfolk

Planning Application 04/00254/F

by Norfolk County Council

Your Ref: APP/G2625/V/04/1168745

STATEMENT OF CASE

1. The Norwich Over the Water Party was founded in 2002.  Its objective is to fight for the historic northern area of Norwich City Centre and make sure that this part of the City gets fair treatment from Norwich City Council.  The Party wrote on 30 November 2004 requesting to appear and be heard at the Inquiry (Rule 6 Inquiries Procedures Rules 2000).

2. The Party has fielded candidates in every local election since 2002 in the Mousehold and Coslany wards, and, subsequent to the ward boundary reorganization, in Sewell ward. In the last City Council elections held in May 2004, the Party came within 79 votes of winning a seat representing Sewell ward.

3. As a campaigning Party, The Norwich Over the Water Party distributes approximately 4500 leaflets in the Sewell ward every quarter.  In particular, the Party works with groups such as the Magdalen Street Traders’ Association and the management of the Anglia Square Shopping Complex to promote the viability of the northern part of Norwich.

4. The Magdalen Street and St. Augustine’s Street area was the historic core of Norwich.  It was here that the original Anglo Saxon town was established, and Aethelred’s mint was here in the Tenth Century.  In the medieval period, the area prospered greatly as evidenced by numerous very fine medieval churches.  In the nineteenth century, the area was the heart of industrial production in Norwich, as evidenced by landmark Victorian industrial buildings.  Even as late as the 1950’s, Magdalen Street was winning awards for its civic architecture.

5. The area suffered greatly from the vandalism of Norwich City Council in the 1960’s in demolishing good areas of housing to build the current flyover of the inner ring road, and further suffered by the building of monolithic and inappropriate 1960’s office structures such as St. Crispin’s House.  Arguably it has never fully recovered from this civic vandalism.

6. Our interest in the present planning application is due to the fact that it is further evidence that City Council development priorities are disproportionately skewed to the south of the City of Norwich.  As such, we respectfully request that the planning inquiry takes into account broader aspects of the location of the proposed development in terms of both national planning guidelines and the Norwich Local Plan. 

7. We will provide evidence that the provision of leisure facilities in the northern part of the City has progressively been reduced.  It is a matter of fact that the City’s swimming pool used to be located at the top of St. Augustine Street in the north part of the City of Norwich.  Here, it was very convenient for local users who would arrive on foot, as well as extremely convenient for the major transport interchange at Anglia Square. 

8. When the building was found to be unsafe due to poor design and inadequate controls over the building materials used in construction, instead of rebuilding the swimming pool on its existing site (which would have been equitable) Norwich City Council decided to move the swimming pool to the area south of the City where it now is placed.

9. The result was a much smaller pool, much less conveniently situated for pedestrians.  Instead, the site of the swimming pool has had the perverse effect of attracting very greatly increased traffic flows in the Bracondale and Riverside areas such that this whole area has become a major traffic bottle-neck.

10. The effects of moving the swimming pool from St. Augustine Street are self-evident walking along St. Augustine’s itself.  Whereas before, St. Augustine Street had a number of small shops which served people whose primary purpose was to visit the swimming pool, now with that primary purpose removed, most of the shops on St. Augustine’s are derelict or boarded up. 

11. It is presently hard to see how the street can be revived.  We are working very hard to prevent the same fate overtaking Magdalen Street.

12. In terms of provision of sports and fitness activities, the picture is the same.  The north part of the City of Norwich had well regarded and heavily used Fitness Centres at the Duke Street and Crome Centres (the latter on Telegraph LaneEast).  These were closed during one of the periodic Norwich City Council budgetary cutbacks a few years ago. 

13. No equivalent local provision has ever been provided.  The nearest fitness facilities are now Greens, which is a private fitness and leisure facility some distance from the core of the historic northern City Centre, situated next to Cow Tower and inconvenient for foot traffic and buses. 

14. In terms of the need by the developers to prove that they have actively considered all other suitable sites for the David Lloyd Leisure Centre, we wish to strenuously promote the far superior merits of the large sites currently available in the north of the City Centre and northern inner suburbs.

Alternative sites in the north of the city.

Development land stretching from St. Augustine Street and Pitt Street through to Anglia Square. 

15. The site is currently occupied by rough car parking and hoardings and is available for immediate occupation.  It is a brown-field site so no urban green space will be lost.  In terms of the sequential planning test, the St. Augustine Street site is within the City Centre and a very short walk from the major bus routes running up and down Magdalen Street and the transport interchange at Anglia Square.

16. Furthermore, the St. Augustine Street area is adjacent to a multi-storey car park accessible from the flyover, so little or no additional car parking space would be required by the developers, therefore maximising the usage of the site for beneficial leisure purposes.

17. In terms of the beneficial effects of a David Lloyd Leisure Centre in the northern part of the City Centre, we do believe that such a development would be an anchor site and would encourage visitors to come to the Magdalen Street area.  In this context we will provide evidence that when visitors do come to Magdalen Street, they are surprised by the quality and variety of the shops on offer. 

Site immediately adjacent to Magdalen Street, currently occupied by the derelict Hi-tech House and associated car parking

18. In terms of the sequential tests, we will secondly draw attention to the potential availability of a large site immediately adjacent to Magdalen Street, currently occupied by the derelict Hi-tech House and associated car parking.  In terms of the sequential tests, this would be a very suitable site because of its proximity to the main transport interchange on Magdalen Street itself.

The former Jarrolds Printwork site on the corner of Barrack Street and Whitefriars

19. Thirdly, we wish to draw attention to the fact that the whole of the former Jarrolds Printwork site is now available.  This is a large site on the corner of Barrack Street and Whitefriars.  Although it is on the inner ring road, it is a very short walk from the bus routes in Magdalen Street and transport interchange.  It is also adjacent to the new offices of the largest firm of lawyers in East Anglia, so would have immediate access to a wealthy market.  In terms of acting as a anchor site for St. Augustine Street and Magdalen Street, it does not fulfill the same overriding social aim, but nevertheless development here would be greatly preferential to further development south of the City.

The former Start-Rite factory on Mousehold Lane

20. Although arguably too small for the proposed David Lloyd Leisure Centre, this site would be very suitable either for the Nursing Home or the Teddies nursery. We understand that the Local Plan requires developers to consider splitting out constituent parts of a mixed-use development in order to maximise use of top-level sites in terms of the sequential tests. The former Start-Rite factory is brown-field land, with good transport links by bus up Sprowston Road.

The former Start-Rite factory on Silver Road

21. Although arguably too small for the proposed David Lloyd Leisure Centre, this site would be very suitable either for the Nursing Home or the Teddies nursery. It is highly convenient for access by foot and situated within the inner suburbs.

I believe the contents of this Statement of Case to be true.

PAUL SCRUTON

14^th December 2004