An aim to build more than 250 homes each year to help house people on a waiting list for council properties been boosted.

Norwich City Council is joining forces with housing provider Orwell Housing to help meet its affordable homes target.

The collaboration means council-owned land will be gifted to Orwell Housing for development.

The council will be awarded nomination rights over all new properties built by the partnership, so people on City Hall's Home Options register will be able to move into the new homes.

Work will start soon to identify the first sites with the potential to be developed into affordable housing, with about 4,000 people on the council house waiting list.

The city council hopes the first projects will be submitted for planning permission by Orwell in the next year, with the first new homes ready in early 2024.

Gail Harris, Labour-controlled Norwich City Council's cabinet member for social housing, said: "We’re absolutely delighted to be working with Orwell Housing, who we have already worked with on a number of projects across the city.

“The increasing housing need, which exists across the country as well as in Norwich, is not something the council, housing associations or private developers can solve alone, so partnerships like these are more important than ever.

“Hundreds of residents will benefit from this new relationship and the future of the housing delivery programme is looking really positive.”

The partnership between the city council and Orwell Housing will last for an initial term of five years, with a possible extension to 10 if both parties agree.

Greg Dodds, assistant director of development and growth at Orwell Housing, said: "We’re delighted to be selected by Norwich City Council to be their main registered provider partner of new affordable homes.

“We have a longstanding and established relationship with our colleagues at the council, which has seen us deliver over 200 new affordable homes on redundant brownfield sites across the city over recent years.

“We are with really excited about the opportunities and potential that this new long-term partnership will bring and are looking forward to continue to work in partnership to deliver high quality, energy efficient affordable homes for the city.”