Consultants are set to be paid thousands of pounds to help forge a masterplan to pave the way to create 4,000 homes and 6,000 jobs in Norwich.
Norwich City Council's cabinet will meet on Wednesday (February 10) to award a contract for "multidisciplinary professional advice" to draw up the masterplan for the East Norwich Vision.
That includes the former Colman's Carrow Works site, the Deal Ground, the Utilities site and Carrow House and is seen as a key development area for the city's future.
The sites are in various different ownerships and the idea is the masterplan will help bring together development, including 4,000 new homes and the creation of 6,000 jobs.
The development is also earmarked to include a new marina and could also lead to the long-awaited replacement of the Trowse Swing Bridge - which would speed up trains between Norwich and London.
The contract's value is being kept confidential at this stage, but the city council is contributing £100,000 to the overall masterplan, of which £50,000 is from the planning budget and £50,000 from the Town Deal Capacity Fund.
The masterplan's total cost is likely to be £500,000, with most other landowners having committed funding, along with Network Rail and Homes England.
Mike Stonard, the Labour-controlled council's cabinet member for sustainable and inclusive growth, said: "This will be a key part in producing the masterplan for the area.
"We have got four sites down there - the Deal Ground, Carrow Works, the Utilities Site and now Carrow House and the owners of them are all members of the partnership.
"The masterplan work is needed to co-ordinate the development of all the sites in a coherent way, which is really important.
"Producing such a masterplan is very complex and, therefore, we need specialist expertise to do that."
Norwich City Council recently bought Carrow House from Norfolk County Council.
The city council intends to refurbish it and rent it out to businesses as 'meanwhile space'.
That is where offices are temporarily leased or loaned on short-term contracts.
Mr Stonard said that demonstrated the council's confidence in the East Norwich vision, and would help would create a coherent "new district" for the city.
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