New life could finally be breathed into a historic city centre venue after plans to reopen it to the public were unveiled.
Norwich University of the Arts (NUA) is hoping to transform the former Open building in Bank Plain into both the focal point of its city campus and a versatile public space for live music and art exhibitions.
The site - which was left empty following the collapse of youth charity Open in March 2020 - was reopened to students in September following the completion of phase one of the refurbishment project.
Plans have now been lodged with Norwich City Council for phases two and three, which will include a new multi-functional public performance space, student workspaces and a library.
The former climbing wall will also be brought back into use as part of a versatile Student Union space.
READ MORE: Norwich University of the Arts defends £90k rebrand spend
A spokesman for NUA said: "We are transforming the Bank Plain building into the focal point of our university and a welcoming hub for the Norwich community.
"This includes the development of a versatile public space, designed to accommodate various ventures such as a gallery, cafe and small performances."
The university hopes to complete phase two of the project by December 2024 and phase three by September 2025.
The former banking hall was purchased by NUA as part of plans to shift the focal point of its campus to Bank Plain from the area around St Georges Street.
The site was most recently used by the Open Youth Trust for a variety of functions, including as a live music venue.
READ MORE: Norwich University of the Arts rebrands with new identity
However, the charity collapsed in 2020 after an unsuccessful fight to secure the funding needed to survive.
NUA had been working closely with City Hall on a bid for 'levelling-up' cash from the government which would have financed a major renovation.
But these hopes were quashed when Norwich lost out on the multi-million-pound fund.
A history of the site
The history of the venue dates back to 1779 when Alderman James Poole, a wine merchant, sold Bartlett Gurney his premises. Gurney installed safes for bullion in the former wine cellars and the Gurney Bank was established.
In 1896, 20 banks including the Gurney Bank were amalgamated under the name of Barclay & Co Ltd. However Barclays Bank outgrew its premises and in 1926 a new building was designed with a huge banking hall, offices and strong rooms.
As a bank it was reputed to have had to longest banking counter in the UK and became the regional headquarters of Barclays until it was sold to the Lind Trust in 2003.
After purchasing the building, the Lind Trust established a Youth Forum whose primary aim was to assess the needs of young people in Norfolk and in 2005 the Open Youth Trust received charitable status.
READ MORE: Tennis ace hopes to be 'the next Alfie Hewett' - with help from ex-Canaries chief
Hudsons Architects worked with young people on how best to make use of the interior of the venue, both for young people and also conference users, and in 2009 a totally redesigned venue was handed back to the trust.
It was used as a popular location for gigs, shows, conferences and awards celebrations until Open collapsed in 2020.
Norwich University of the Arts purchased the building in 2022.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here