Peter Waters has been appointed the new editor of the Eastern Daily Press.

He has been deputy editor of the Archant morning title for three years and becomes only the 12th editor in the paper’s 139-year history.

The 42-year-old takes over from Peter Franzen who announced his retirement in May after almost four decades with the company and 16 years as editor.

Peter said: “It’s an honour and a privilege to be the new custodian of this unique title.

“As a Norfolk man myself I understand that the EDP is part of the fabric of this county and has a vital role to play in reflecting and championing what is happening here.

“The fact that the Eastern Daily Press is the country’s biggest-selling regional morning newspaper says a lot about its position at the heart of local life, but it is also testament to the achievements of Peter Franzen and the team he led for the past 16 years.

“In a time of huge developments in information technology, our challenge now is to continue evolving the EDP brand to meet the changing requirements of our customers.

“The Eastern Daily Press is a trusted brand with an enviable reputation and it is up to us now to protect those qualities while delivering an improved multi-platform news and information service.”

Peter began his career at the Great Yarmouth and Gorleston Advertiser and East Anglian Post, where he became the youngest editor in the country at 18.

He moved to the Northampton Chronicle and Echo at 21, becoming deputy chief sub-editor, before working in Peterborough as a production editor for Thomson Newspapers and then deputy editor of EMAP’s Evening Telegraph.

He returned to the Norwich-based EDP in September 2006 after five years as a Cheltenham-based group publisher for Archant’s Life magazine division.

Between 1994 and 2001 he worked on the EDP as tabloid project editor when it switched from broadsheet to a compact, was launch editor of the Saturday magazine, and initiated and launched the EDP Norfolk glossy magazine.

Archant Norfolk managing director Stephan Phillips said: “In making this appointment I am delighted that we have been able to promote from within our team.

“Peter has done an excellent job for us in his role as deputy editor and more recently on his secondment as the head of editorial implementation for Archant Norfolk, where he has already set about leading the cultural change for the future.

“I’m sure he will continue that work as our new brand editor for the EDP and EDP24.”