City College Plans
On 11th September 2008, City
College Norwich was granted approval, by 5 votes to 4, for its outline planning
application for complete campus redevelopment. The College is now in a
position to apply to the
Learning and Skills Council
(LSC) for
funding and to develop its detailed (reserved matters) planning application.
Dialogue with Residents
On Sunday 12 October, the College delivered an Autumn 2008
newsletter to residents that included information about the development of the
campus plans and artist's impressions of the proposed
phase one buildings. Dick Palmer, Principal of the College, invited members of
College Redevelopment Concerns,
and Town Close Residents' Group to meet with him the day before the
newsletter was delivered so that he could explain the status of the College's
funding and planning applications. Mr Palmer proposed meeting regularly to keep residents groups apprised of
developments.
The residents' groups are pleased that the College has taken
this initiative in establishing a dialogue for the next phase of the planning
process.
The College has been granted outline planning permission and
so the maximum size of buildings and the overall
campus layout is already decided. This outline planning permission
has allowed the College to apply for funding to the LSC. The College now has the
opportunity to take into account the objections raised by residents and
councillors and to
produce detailed plans that will realistically meet the educational needs of the
region and at the same time be sensitive to the concerns of residents. It does
not, for example, have to build to the maximum size allowed by the outline
permission.
We
hope that this new dialogue will be just that, a dialogue, where the College
will really listen to the concerns of neighbours as
well as keeping us informed about its plans.