The man behind a vision for Norwich in 2035 admitted some of his ideas may never get off the ground, but hoped they would provoke debate.

Proposals contained in 'Norwich 2035: A strategy for the city centre' include a revived tram system, a concert hall, a pedestrianised Castle Meadow and 'fun' sculptures - including one of Delia Smith.

Some of the report, produced by the Norwich Society, has been criticised for being unrealistic, and failing to explain how proposals would be funded.

But Paul Burall, author of the report, reasoned that to take this approach would be to miss the point.

Asked why he had decided to compile the strategy, he said: 'We want to provoke people into coming up with ideas, is the real reason.

'We want to get people discussing, thinking about the future, because I think too often people look at what's here now and complain about immediate things but don't look at what they're trying to achieve in the long run.

'So we've put forward some provocative ideas, some of which we think can be implemented quite easily, some of which will take a long time and some of which frankly may never happen.

'But if we can get people thinking - that's our main aim.'

One of the more radical ideas was to pedestrianise Castle Meadow, creating a new area with fountains by the castle.

'It would be difficult and we recognise that, but it's worth thinking about,' he said.

Asked what could bring real change to the city, he noted: 'I think one of the biggest differences would just be better care of what's here already.

'We have a lot of historic buildings, some wonderful Medieval streets, but they ar ein danger of greatly deteriorating.

'I don't think we will lose them altogether, but they may not be as attractive as they are.'

He gave the example of Elm Hill, where he said heavy vehicles were causing cracks in the cobbled pavements.

He hoped it could be pedestrianised.

What do you think of the proposals? Write (giving full name and contact details) to eveningnewsletters@archant.co.uk

Beauty or the beast – mixed views over Anglia Square shopping centre

The Norwich Society's view that the brutalist architecture found in Anglia Square should be retained in years to come found favour with some of those working and shopping in the precinct.

Trevor Wicks, director of Hollywood Cinema, said: 'I'm a fan of the architecture. We often get students up here taking pictures. I like the area. It sometimes gets some criticism but I think the problem with Norwich is they've concentrated on the city centre and Riverside.'

But Mr Wicks said things were now looking up for the area, which includes nearby Magdalen Street. He said: 'You won't find any empty shops here.'

Brendan Webster, 29, who runs the Bangers and Beverages stall on Anglia Square, said he agreed the architecture should be retained. He said: 'It's simple and it works. It works well so why change it?'

Angela Martin, 71, from Old Catton, said: 'I think it should be kept the same because its nice, it's a lovely square. It's really nice.'

But Geoffrey Thompson, 64, who lives near to the square said: 'I think it's terrible. It's awful.'

High cost of trams

Bringing trams back to the Fine City is one of the Norwich Society's more ambitious proposals.

For the multi-million pound price tag may be a stumbling block, Norfolk County Council said.

A spokesman said: 'Light rapid transit, which includes trams and guided bus, has been considered during the development of the Norwich Area Transport Strategy.

'While trams or light rail have not been ruled out, it would be difficult and very expensive to put trams back on to the city streets. 'Buses provide more flexibility, so that is where the public transport investment has been made, including the six park and rides, new bus station – although now around 10 years old – bus priority in the city centre, and the development of bus rapid transit routes on corridors into the city.

'The suggested use of the existing railway line from Rackheath has more potential and the county council would certainly be interested in proposals brought forward by developers.'

The authority was already working to link park and ride sites through the city centre, and the city council was leading on the development of cycle routes with its Push the Pedalways programme.

Concert and conference hall vision

The call to transform St Andrew's and Blackfriars' Hall into a concert/conference hall has been met with positive reaction. The Norwich Society report suggests Norwich HEART's previous proposal to adapt the historic halls should be re-examined, but if the transformation is deemed too difficult then a large new hall be developed elsewhere in the city.

Michael Nutt, chairman of the orchestra committee of the Norwich Philharmonic Society, said: 'St Andrew's Hall has been used as a concert hall for many years and there have been recent proposals to improve the facilities quite significantly. Certainly Norwich needs a major concert hall and St Andrew's Hall is the right place. It has terrific heritage, a wonderful atmosphere, but it needs some work doing to it... with the right sort of investment, the right kind of refurbishment, St Andrew's and Blackfriars' Halls could make a fantastic concert venue and conference centre.'

Norwich Theatre Royal chief executive Peter Wilson said: 'The theatre has for many years been supportive of plans to redevelop St Andrew's and Blackfriars'...We recognise, however, that there are financial constraints on both the capital needed to secure their future, and revenue implications in the future. If and when it is determined that changes should be made, we are ready to play our part.'

Reaction from Norwich BID

While some of its 'aspirational' proposals drew praise, others were criticised as unrealistic.

Norwich Business Improvement District (BID) was consulted in advance of the publication of the Norwich Society's vision for the city in 2035.

Stefan Gurney, executive director of Norwich BID, said that the Norwich Society's proposal to remove the brain sculpture in Hay Hill to create a performance space was a good idea.

'It's about the use of the vibrancy of the city centre,' he explained. 'People want an experience in the city centre.

'They don't just want to shop – they want to enjoy the city.'

But he approached some of the other proposals on the 'wish list' with more scepticism, and was concerned that not enough thought had been given to paying for the suggested schemes.

He said that a tram scheme would cost millions of pounds, and that local businesses had already considered Boris-bikes – and decided they would not be cost-effective unless on the scale of a city like London.

He added that he felt branding Norwich as a 'City of Surprises' would clash with the existing City of Stories tag that is being used to attract visitors.

He added that he felt 'City of Surprises' was a 'bland, generic phrase' whereas City of Stories was grounded in Norwich's literary history.