What's changing
Anglia Square, the market revamp, bus reshuffles, Carrow Works and the 2028 council shake-up — where each stands, with honest dates.
Norwich is mid-change: a £350 million rebuild at Anglia Square, a market decision due this month, a bus network that keeps reshuffling, the region's biggest brownfield changing hands, and the biggest council shake-up since 1974 arriving in 2028. This board says where each one stands, with the honest dates.
Anglia Square redevelopment
In force nowDemolition under way — Magdalen Street reopened 9 March 2026 after a six-week closure, with works continuing around the site.
A £350 million rebuild of the 1960s shopping centre and its surroundings: over 1,100 new homes (at least half affordable in the first two phases), shops, workspaces and a container village near Magdalen Street, backed by a £34 million Homes England grant and Aviva Capital Partners.
For day-to-day life the works mean intermittent road and bus-stop closures around Magdalen Street, Edward Street and Magpie Road — the February 2026 closures were the first big round, and construction of phase one follows the demolition. Check the project page or First Bus updates before relying on an old route through the area.
Bus network changes
In force nowFirst Bus changed Norwich services on 4 January and 12 April 2026 — the third reshuffle in under a year.
Norwich's bus network keeps being re-cut: route changes in August 2025, January 2026 and April 2026 mean printed timetables and remembered departure times go stale fast. No single free feed lists every change across operators.
First publishes upcoming changes on its planned-changes page; travelnorfolk.co.uk carries disruptions across all operators (First, Konectbus, Simonds). If your route crosses Anglia Square, see the redevelopment card above too.
Norwich Market revamp
ComingConsultation closed 4 January 2026; the council's decision on the design is expected in June 2026.
The council proposes new aisle canopies, better lighting and security, and trader storage in the Undercroft. Over 3,500 people responded to the winter consultation — the council's largest single-theme consultation to date — and the council reports strong support, though some traders have publicly objected that the plan overlooks their concerns.
The market trades as normal meanwhile: Monday to Saturday, 8:30am to 5:30pm on Gentleman's Walk. Any rebuild would change the layout over the next few years, not overnight.
Carrow Works and East Norwich regeneration
ComingHomes England bought the 17-hectare former Colman's site in March 2026; a design team is now being sought.
The former Colman's mustard and Robinsons squash factory — the East of England's largest brownfield site — is now in public hands. It anchors the East Norwich Regeneration Area, earmarked for more than 3,500 homes and new riverside public access, with the site's heritage buildings to be kept.
This is the planning stage: nothing is being built yet, and the first visible work is the design competition. Expect years, not months.
Greater Norwich unitary council
ComingConfirmed by government on 25 March 2026 — shadow elections May 2027, the new council takes over on 1 April 2028.
Norfolk's two-tier system ends in April 2028. The county's councils are replaced by three unitaries — East Norfolk, West Norfolk and Greater Norwich — and Greater Norwich covers the current city plus 19 Broadland and 16 South Norfolk parishes, about 290,000 people with 63 councillors.
Until then nothing changes day to day: the city council still handles bins, housing and council tax, the county council still handles roads, schools and social care. The first thing residents will actually do is vote in the shadow elections in May 2027.
Summer 2026 drought watch
In force nowNo hosepipe ban in the Anglian Water region as of 12 June 2026 — but East Anglia carries England's highest drought risk this summer.
East Anglia is the driest region in the UK, and the Environment Agency rates this region's summer 2026 drought risk as high, with much of England still in formal drought status from 2025. Anglian Water has not announced restrictions here.
Any ban would be announced on Anglian Water's website and social channels, and can come at short notice — check there before relying on this card.
What changes next
June 2026
Market revamp decision expected
The city council is due to decide on the market design after the winter consultation.
May 2027
Shadow elections for Greater Norwich
Voters elect the councillors who will run the new unitary council, for a first term of five years.
1 April 2028
The two-council system ends
Norwich City Council and Norfolk County Council dissolve into the Greater Norwich unitary — one council for bins, roads, schools and housing alike.