Almost £3m for new homes at former Norwich shoe factory site

Norfolk County Council is ready to spend the money on the properties in Norwich's Mousehold Lane, to provide housing for people who need extra support to live independently.

The plans, for the former Start-Rite shoe factory site, were given permission by Norwich City Council in July and a key decision is due to be made by County Hall's Conservative-controlled cabinet next week.

A visualisation of how the new homes in Norwich's Mousehold Lane could look (Image: Norfolk County Council)

County councillors are due to rubber stamp the use of £2.95m to support specialist provider Golden Lane Housing's development of 12 apartments and six bungalows.

The council will get nomination rights to house adults with learning disabilities, autistic people and people with physical disabilities in the new homes.

The housing will be specially designed for their needs and will be fully accessible.

Alison Thomas, county council cabinet member for adult social care (Image: archant) Alison Thomas, the council's cabinet member for adult social care, said: "We know just how important it can be to live independently, which benefits both physical and mental health.

"Supported Living provides an option for people with care and support needs to live independently in their communities, close to family, friends and the things they care about.

"The Mousehold Lane proposals would bring this relatively new type of housing to Norwich, giving residents more choice without asking them to leave the city that may have been their home for many years, and I look forward to discussing it fully with my cabinet colleagues."

Norfolk County Council is set to approve the use of almost £3m to build the homes in Mousehold Lane, Norwich (Image: Norfolk County Council)

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The council, which approved investment in a similar scheme in Swaffham last year, says there is a need for 181 such units in Norfolk, including 104 in Norwich.

The site, next to the Rishi Indian restaurant, is split into two halves, with the front already redeveloped as a 79-bed care home.

The long gone Start-Rite shoe factory in Mousehold Lane (Image: Liz Reynolds)

The land once housed the Diana Works factory which produced the famous Maclaren ‘Mac’ Handbags.

It was taken over by the Start-Rite Shoes company, before closing in 2004.

Inside the former Start-Rite factory in 1981 (Image: Archant)

Part of the site, next to the Rishi Indian restaurant, has been redeveloped as a 79-bed care home.