Revamp of former shoe factory on hold as deadline looms

Our Place was given outline planning permission for a revamp of the St Mary's Works site off Duke Street in 2018, a £90m project that would have seen more than 150 new homes built, along with shops, offices and a hotel.

In October 2019, a full application was withdrawn and more than a year later an updated version has not been submitted.

St Mary's Works, St Mary's Plain, Norwich.Picture: ANTONY KELLY (Image: Archant Norfolk 2016)

And with the outline permission due to expire in less than a week - on May 4 - the revamp looks no closer now than three years ago.

But the developer, which is also behind a revamp of the nearby St George's Works, insisted the scheme would not go down as one of the city's white elephants.

A spokesman for the developer said: "Our Place remains committed to the redevelopment of St Mary’s Works and is currently contributing to the local plan-making process, and the recent challenges have only strengthened in our mind the attractiveness of Norwich as a place for a high quality of life and business opportunity.

"We will look to prepare revisions to our proposals for the site, again in consultation with the local community, once the impact of the ongoing pandemic is more widely understood to ensure that the scheme that is brought forward serves the needs of the people of Norwich."

Mike Stonard, Norwich City Council's cabinet member for sustainable growth, said: "St Mary's Works is an area very much in need of redevelopment and a part of the city I have very fond memories of, having worked in a building there in years gone by.

"The pandemic has very much put us in a state of flux so perhaps it may be a good opportunity for a rethink about how to best develop the site for the future."

The Our Place spokesman added: "While we work through the local plan process we will continue to support various local partners and seek innovative and exciting opportunities for our meanwhile use spaces."