Fencing has been erected around a city centre building approved for demolition, with reports suggesting early to work to prepare the site for bulldozing has begun.
Workers from Shorts Demolition have been spotted installing a wooden fence and clearing the site around Victoria House, on Queens Road in Norwich, which councillors said they believed was in preparation for demolition.
The building, which up until 2022 was home to insurance firm Marsh, was due to be demolished last summer, but delay after delay with no explanation has left its fate unclear.
Adam Zive, whose company Zive Capital owns the building, said the work was for "safety reasons" and to prevent anti-social behaviour.
He said that over the coming months, site-wide utilities disconnections would also be completed.
A company spokesman added: "Prior to any demolition, local representatives and residents will be contacted to be kept informed of the programme for demolition and the measures that will be put in place to minimise any disruption."
Permission to demolish the site was granted in June 2023, with the owners given five years to complete the work.
Mr Zive said: “Victoria House represents an exceptional brownfield redevelopment opportunity in the city centre of Norwich.
"We look forward to engaging with local residents, Norwich City Council and the wider community of Norwich and are excited to develop a proposal with industry leading environmental and design credentials.
“We are in the early stages of planning the redevelopment of the site and will undertake extensive community and stakeholder consultation to shape the proposals, prior to any planning application being submitted.”
Plans to the demolish the site have previously courted controversy after Town Close county councillor Emma Corlett said the nature of the consultation had left those living nearby with "very little say".
Other objectors criticised the project's environmental impact, claiming the building was in a suitable condition to be reused.
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