Alarm over eyesore site at St Anne's Quarter in Norwich

But residents in Norwich's much-hyped St Anne's Quarter development have instead been left looking at a grotty swathe of wasteland for an entire decade. 

The Orbit Homes £85m project was set to create 437 new homes and 22,000sqft of commercial space.

But only 247 homes have been built so far and many of the commercial units remain empty. 

Blue hoarding surrounds a large area of undeveloped land in St Anne's Quarter (Image: Sonya Duncan) Local folk are increasingly incensed that a large "dead zone" adjoining King St has been left barren and boarded up for ten years.

Stephanie Northen, a member of King Street Neighbours, said: "It's a substantial site in the city centre that is just not being used. It is such a waste."

Orbit Homes has claimed that the COVID pandemic stalled the development and they are currently looking for a contractor to complete the work.

THE PLANS FOR ST ANNE'S QUARTER

St Anne's Wharf, a former brewery industrial site between King Street and the River Wensum, stood empty since 1999 before it was bought by Orbit Homes in 2014.

Loungers is set to move into one of the restaurant spaces in St Anne's Quarter (Image: Denise Bradley) Of the 437 homes in the proposed development:

-251 were planned for open market sale

-88 were intended for private rental

-33 were set for affordable rental

-65 were earmarked for shared ownership.

Speaking to this paper in 2019, an Orbit representative said: "Depending on the build and sales rates, we anticipate the overall project will be finished 2023/24."

In a positive recent development Loungers, which owns Lounge Cafe Bars and the Cosy Club brand, has revealed it could be moving into one of the units.

Photos show that Orbit Homes is yet to start work on the next stage of the development (Image: Contributed) "IT IS AN EYESORE"

Ms Northen claims she has tried to contact Orbit Homes several times about the lack of progress and the ongoing issues with the bright blue fencing.

She said: "The hoardings are tatty, covered in graffiti, and some parts fall down and have to be patched up again. 

"We feel strongly that there is a need for housing and just want something to be done. 

"I'm also part of Wild King Street and we are trying to bring more flowers and plants into the urban area.

"One of the suggestions we have made to Orbit is to turn the whole site into an urban park."

Cllr Amanda Fox (Image: Denise Bradley) Green Party city councillor for the Mancroft ward, Amanda Fox, said that something has to be done to stop developers hoarding large areas of land indefinitely.

"They are forcing residents to live in the middle of an ugly building site," she said.

"It is an eyesore. The stalled section of the St Anne’s development included the promise of a number of trees.

"Instead of attractive trees and shrubs, residents are left with hoardings that just attract graffiti."

Cllr Fox has called on Norwich City Council to ask for funding from the government for a compulsory purchase of the land.

She said: "Planning laws must work for local communities, not just for developer profit. It is now within Labour’s gift to make that happen."

Cllr Amanda Fox has raised the issue in a Norwich City Council meeting (Image: Amanda Fox) WHAT DOES NORWICH CITY COUNCIL SAY?

Councillor Packer, the cabinet member for planning and regulatory services, said: "I understand the frustration of those affected by schemes that appear to have stalled. I want to see developments of vitally needed housing completed as quickly as possible.

"Whether or not a development is completed is the outcome of a range of factors and pressures, including developing sites in a challenging economic climate.

"A wider solution is required rather than applying an arbitrary time limit for completion imposed through the planning system."

ORBIT DEFENDS THE DEAD ZONE

A spokesman for Orbit Homes said: "We remain strongly committed to the continued delivery of high quality, energy efficient and safe homes.

We have successfully completed 247 homes, which include much needed shared ownership and affordable rent homes in the centre of Norwich.

The hoardings have been covered in graffiti over the years (Image: Sonya Duncan) "As well as completing over and above the number of affordable homes required by the section 106 agreement for this site, the development has provided a plaza area with associated commercial units.

"We appreciate the delays have been very disappointing for our customers, but we are working hard to bring forward a solution.

"It was unfortunately paused as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, increased construction costs and challenging market conditions.

"Hoardings are in place around the undeveloped land to ensure the safety of the public. Unfortunately, this has attracted some graffiti, and we are attempting to paint over this as quickly as possible.

"We would encourage the community to report any graffiti or let us know of any issues so that we can take the necessary action."