Norwich will be one of 20 cities around the UK to pioneer a new local television station, the broadcast regulator OfCom has revealed.

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Norwich was the only city in the East of England to make the regulator’s shortlist of places where it believes a local - rather than regional - television station could operate.

Ofcom’s decision was broadly welcomed, despite continuing uncertainty about how the new station would be funded or who would run it.

In September, ministers published a long-list of 65 cities - including Norwich and Cambridge - where they thought a local TV station would be possible using the existing broadcast transmitters.

At that stage, culture secretary Jeremy Hunt suggested that up to 155,000 homes around Norwich could receive a new local station.

But publishing its shortlist of 20 yesterday, Ofcom said it had now selected “sites where local TV is technically possible and we consider there is a potential local service operator, and selected to achieve a range of locations across the UK, and a range of scales of operation.

“We also take into account evidence of strong local demand.”

Archant, the community publishing group behind the EDP, Evening News and its sister weekly titles, was among those to express an interest to the government about the idea earlier this year.

Archant Anglia managing director Johnny Hustler said: “Archant has always been in the vanguard of new media initiatives and we’re delighted with this news and will spearhead the work needed to bring this to fruition.”

The 20 cities shortlisted by the regulator were Norwich, Belfast, Birmingham, Brighton & Hove, Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Grimsby, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham, Oxford, Plymouth, Preston, Southampton and Swansea.

Norwich South MP Simon Wright was among the first to welcome the Ofcom announcement - having written to the culture secretary in support of the idea earlier this year.

“There is a real appetite in Norwich and the surrounding area for local media content,” Mr Wright said.

“We enjoy two very successful local newspapers including the Eastern Daily Press, England’s best-selling morning newspaper outside London, and the Norwich Evening News. Radio Norfolk is the BBC’s sixth most listened-to English local station and we have a number of effective independent media operators too. Having our own local television station would be a significant addition, and will provide new content to complement what’s already available.

“Norwich has to be seen as one of the top places in the country able to make a success of local TV.”

Broadcast entrepreneur Fi Ryder and Patrick Peal of Norwich-based PR agency Tribe were among those to join with Archant to express an interest.

Ms Ryder said: “With media devices converging, the opportunity to broadcast local media simultaneously to TV, web and mobile devices is a reality. Norwich now has an excellent chance of becoming a new regional digital media hub at this exceptionally exciting time. Not only will a local TV service for Norwich create new jobs, it will help transform communication for communities, businesses and local people.”

Mr Peal urged the government to publish more detail with some urgency.

““We’re delighted that Norwich has made it into the first round,” he said.

“But we’re faced with another round of consultation and yet the government hopes to award licences next summer which looks optimistic. We need to see more detail very soon.”

But there were also calls for the new station to be used to support the next generation of professionals in the city.

“This is a fantastic opportunity for the city and its wider surrounding areas and one which we must grab with both hands,” said Dick Palmer, principal of City College Norwich.

“We can develop a new sort of social and commercial enterprise through the right sort of engagement with our local community and our student community should be at the forefront of such an exciting and innovative development”

Rick Waghorn, chief executive of the local ad network Addiply, added: “Above all, let’s use this pilot project to give the young people of this city the opportunity to engage in that process and help shape the way that their generation will access the local news that matters to them.”

Ofcom said it would give further details in a consultation paper later this month.

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