An abandoned red brick farmhouse in Gorleston could be converted into a new family centre.

A bid has been made to alter the Grade II-listed Shrublands Farmhouse building - on the grounds of the Seagulls Surestart Centre on Magdalen Way - into a family centre for Norfolk County Council (NCC).

If approved, the building could replace the existing family centre at Norman House on Tarworks Road, Great Yarmouth.

Eastern Daily Press: Norman House on Tarworks Road, Great Yarmouth. Picture - GoogleNorman House on Tarworks Road, Great Yarmouth. Picture - Google (Image: Google)The NCC-owned property has previously been a working farm, a community hub and council offices since being built in the early 19th Century.

Plans state the new family centre would enable staff to meet demand in facilitating looking after children to maintain safe links with their birth families while they are waiting for courts to make long-term decisions and beyond. 

The centre will also provide a hot-desk workspace for the community assessment function workers to use.

Some "relatively minor" changes to the building have also been included in the plans.

READ MORE: Gorleston in 1988: Old photos of the Shrublands Youth Centre

Eastern Daily Press: The old farmhouse on the Shrublands estate. Picture - Newsquest ArchivesThe old farmhouse on the Shrublands estate. Picture - Newsquest Archives (Image: Newsquest Archives)Planned renovations include the subdivision of rooms, installation of suspended ceilings and internal corridors and blocking up existing door openings between rooms.

Repairs and maintenance of the structure and windows will also be carried out. 

Outside, the farmhouse will include a fenced garden play area with play equipment, an air source heat pump and replacement external lighting.

The application states: "The proposed works are necessary to ensure the efficient operation of the building as a family centre which will support the local community and economy and allow the reuse of a listed building."

Eastern Daily Press: Shrublands Farm on the site of Seagulls Surestart, the Shrublands Health Centre and Community Trust. Picture - GoogleShrublands Farm on the site of Seagulls Surestart, the Shrublands Health Centre and Community Trust. Picture - Google (Image: Google)The farmhouse was originally owned by Magdalen College, Oxford, who had the whole Spitlings (later renamed Shrublands) estate.

The college leased its estates out, and in the case of Shrublands, the tenant was Thomas Thurtell of Gorleston, who built Shrublands House between 1807 and 1814. Great Yarmouth authorities acquired the whole estate in 1944.

A decision is expected by Great Yarmouth Borough Council's development management committee by February 8.