Scale of housing development planned for Norwich city centre revealed
It'll feature ten-storey tall tower blocks
The true scale of a major housing development planned for Norwich city centre has been revealed.
Developers Zive Capital are planning to build hundreds of new homes at the former Marsh site in Norwich, where demolition work is currently in process.
The £80m redevelopment of the land in Queens Road is still in the early stages and many details have been kept under wraps.
However, the developers have now revealed that some of the housing blocks will tower over the city at 10 storeys tall – more than 40pc higher than the Victoria House building used by Marsh.
The project would see 443 new homes built at the site opposite St Stephens roundabout along with co-working spaces, a gym, public park and café.
This will be largely made up of fully-furnished apartment blocks aimed at young professionals as well as several town houses, altogether housing nearly around 900 people.
It was previously unclear exactly how tall the new buildings will be but the developers have now confirmed the blocks will range from three to 10 storeys tall.
By contrast, the former Marsh offices were seven storeys high.
The scheme will cost £80m and will also see improvements carried out to the underpass in St Stephens Road and include 74 car parking spaces.
Despite concerns about increased parking on surrounding roads, the developers said they hoped the central location and proximity to the bus station would discourage those living in these new homes from owning cars.
During an informal planning briefing at Norwich City Council this week, members also raised fears about a lack of affordable housing in the scheme and the height of the new buildings.
Zive Capital are aiming to submit an official planning application in the next six months with a view to work beginning on site this time next year – providing they are granted approval for the development by City Hall.
Adam Zive, chief executive of the company, said: “It is going to be an amazing development for Norwich with a huge number of benefits for new residents and local people.
“This is a huge investment in the city and I hope it will be welcomed. This could be a real world-class development.”
A history of Victoria House
Victoria House, which was home to insurance firm Marsh, was built in the 1970s.
The building is currently being demolished after the company left the site in early 2022 and moved its staff to new offices at Broadland Business Park.
Before the pandemic, the bustling insurance office block had been the workplace of 1,000 people.
While the developers had explored the option of bringing the building back into use, they say it would have cost more than £20m to make it operational again, which was not believed to be viable as many companies now seek smaller office spaces.
The demolition work was planned to be finished this year but this has been delayed by several months due to the unexpected “complexity” of this process.
The site was once home to the Norwich Victoria railway station on the old Great Eastern Main Line, which ran passengers from 1849 to 1916.
Following its closure to the public, the station continued as a goods yard until 1926 but was largely demolished after the Second World War and fully removed in 1953.
The site was also the location of Pablo Fanque’s circus in the 1800s.
Mr Fanque was Britain’s first black circus owner and a poster for one of his shows inspired the Beatles’ song Being for the Benefit of Mr Kite – with the man himself getting a mention in the lyrics.