Brown&Co: The importance of preserving historic buildings

The Wensum Lodge site at 169 King Street, Norwich offers a number of historic buildings extending to 3,541m² in an area measuring approximately 0.84 acres and is for sale freehold.

This site is within the Norwich City Centre Conservation Area, and any future development should focus on the re-use of the existing buildings for a wide range of appropriate commercial, leisure or residential conversions.

This means the character and form of the buildings are retained, while the site is enhanced to fulfil a new purpose going forwards.

In this case, the retention of the buildings and their character is essential not only because they are locally listed and of historic importance but because they are within the location of King Street. This area has been invested in and promoted by Norwich City Council as a regeneration priority for a number of years.

Andrew Haigh, commercial surveyor at Brown&Co (Image: Brown&Co)
This site is a key location to achieve that and demonstrates the importance, in some cases, of buildings being retained not only for their own historic importance but also because of what they contribute to the regeneration and future economic benefit of their locality.

The Wensum Lodge site, which fronts the River Wensum opposite the Norwich Riverside development, includes a former maltings, stable block and two other buildings: ‘Arts and Crafts’ and ‘The Tuns’. The site extends to around 38,000 sqft.

The history of the site, including other nearby buildings, dates as far back as the 12th century. However, the King Street buildings’ façades were added much later.

The site is surrounded by both commercial and residential buildings. Norwich railway station is close by, as is Norwich City football ground, with the city centre about 10 minutes’ walk away.

For more information, please contact Andrew Haigh on 01603 598261 or Nick Dunn on 01603 598241.