OVERVIEW
The Mile Cross Depot site is an area of Norwich with a rich history, having served as the council’s City Works depot and later the Mile Cross Business Centre before falling derelict in 2017. During the Second World War the site was used to dispose of rubble from homes and buildings destroyed in the Baedeker Raids of 1942.
Norwich City Council’s plans will see the site redeveloped across three phases, delivering up to 200 dwellings in total. Phase One comprises 67 socially rented homes, open space, landscaped areas, and cycle and pedestrian links to the city centre and surrounding suburbs – building on the council’s long legacy of providing affordable homes for Norwich residents.
CREATE’S ROLE
We were appointed in 2022 to help progress the pre-application process, initially carrying out an on-site inspection and completing a Structural Report for a boundary retaining wall. We were subsequently appointed as Transport Consultant to progress the formal planning application. The wider project team is largely Norwich-based, including Feilden+Mawson (Architect), Richard Utting Associates, Norse Group, Carter Design Group, 4D Geo and QODA Consulting.
Our roles, technical services and outputs included:
- Structural Inspection and Report for Boundary Retaining Wall
- Transport Assessment (TA) and Travel Plan (TP)
- Walking and Cycling Assessment
- LinSig Modelling
- Access Strategy
- Traffic Survey
CHALLENGES
As a brownfield site with a complex history, the Mile Cross Depot required careful consideration of ground conditions and site constraints. From a transport perspective, delivering 67 new homes in an established residential area required a robust assessment of highway impacts and a credible strategy for walking, cycling and sustainable access. This required our transport consultants to take full responsibility for liaison with Norfolk County Council as Highway Authority throughout the process.
ACHIEVEMENTS AND BENEFITS
Planning permission for Phase One was granted by Norwich City Council’s planning committee on Friday 29th November 2024. Create’s transport work, including management of all highway authority liaison, played a key role in securing consent for this first phase of a wider regeneration that will ultimately deliver up to 200 new homes in the heart of Norwich.
