Protesters with placards took a stand against plans to build a £325m energy plant just outside the city centre.

Norwich Evening News: Say No to Generation Park protest at Norwich City Hall.Picture: ANTONY KELLYSay No to Generation Park protest at Norwich City Hall.Picture: ANTONY KELLY (Image: Archant Norfolk 2015)

The 30-acre Generation Park proposal includes 120 homes, student accommodation, an education centre and a research base.

Campaigners took to the Norwich City Council steps yesterday chanting their fears about increased pollution from the chimney on the site between Thorpe Hamlet and Whitlingham.

The protesters also believe not enough people know about the plans.

Deepak Rughani, 54, from Sprowston, said: 'We have concerns that 19 out of 20 residents did not know this was happening and the other one has just been given positive information.'

Another protester, Natasha Hopley, 36, from Thorpe St Andrew, said local people did not have all of the information, and also raised concerns about the effect of increased pollution on people's health.

'It's not a case of 'not in my back yard',' she said. 'It's going to be close to the Broads, schools, homes and people's places of work.'

A spokesman for Generation Park, in which the University of East Anglia is one of the prime investors, said the chimney was so high that its impact would be negligible.

The eight-month consultation before the developers' application to the council included posting leaflets in the area, but the spokesman acknowledged that some householders may not have read them.

In the same week that headlines revealed Norwich's air pollution level was higher than London, the city centre being named an Air Quality Management Area was at the forefront of the campaigners' minds.

Mr Rughani said: 'We're already breaching the EU standards with our air pollution. It can cause cardiovascular problems, asthma and reduce the life expectancy of the elderly.'

The proposed power station, standing just six metres shorter than Norwich Cathedral, will combust straw, and protesters are also concerned the redirection of the material could have a detrimental effect on the county's piggeries, leading to a loss of jobs.

A spokesman for the Generation Park said: 'Pig farmers use barley straw and we will only be using wheat and oilseed rape [straw] to avoid a conflict of interest.'

What do you think of the plans? Write to Norwich Evening News letters, Prospect House, Rouen Road, Norwich NR1 1RE or email eveningnewsletters@archant.co.uk.