Chairman Bob Weston said he would now take the scheme, which was blocked largely on heritage grounds, back to the drawing board.

The Anglia Square redevelopment project promised a massive investment in Norwich City Centre, providing up to 1,250 new homes, including a 20-storey tower, hotel, cinema, new shops, enhanced public realm and car park.

Rejected plan promised to create a new quarter in Norwich but the height of buildings raised heritage concerns about damaging the character of the city

As part of this reset, Weston Homes will now spend the next few months in dialogue with Homes England, partner Columbia Threadneedle Investments and the city council to devise and agree a collaborative solution for the future of Anglia Square.

Weston said: “We remain committed to devising proposals that provide a future for the Anglia Square site and for this to be successful we need to be aligned with key stakeholders such as Historic England and others who like us are passionate about the site and Norwich.

“We are looking forward to working in friendly collaboration with everyone to create fresh proposals for this challenging site to get the best possible solution for everyone.”

James Rigg, Chief Investment Officer of UK Real Estate at Columbia Threadneedle Investments addedd: “We believe in the long-term vision for Anglia Square.

“We continue to collaborate with stakeholders with our partner Weston Homes in order to create a viable future for Anglia Square and devise proposals that meet the aspirations of the community.”