Charles Tyrwhitt taking over former Virgin Money in Norwich

Charles Tyrwhitt, an upmarket British brand, will soon be moving into the former Virgin Money store on Castle Street.

Norwich City Council has granted permission for the store to erect signs around the site, which is located between Castle Quarter and the market.

The plans have been given the green light (Image: Push Design Ltd) Under the plans, the main shop entrance will remain in Castle Street with most of the shop running along Davey Street, with illuminated signs on each side of the store.

However, the bright signage was something of a sticking point for the company during the application process.

A conservation and design officer for Norwich City Council said the plans were: "Not supported from a conservation and design perspective."

The shop has been empty since Virgin Money closed in 2023 (Image: Newsquest) She added: "The illuminated nature of all proposed signage is deemed to unduly and detrimentally affect the setting and views of the surrounding Grade I Listed Monument Norwich Castle and the wider conservation area.

"Castle Street and Davey Place form part of a historic thoroughfare leading to the castle and are therefore highly resonant to Norwich in terms of heritage significance."

The plans have been approved with restrictions on how brightly the signs can be illuminated.

Virgin Money left the city street last year (Image: Denise Bradley) Charles Tyrwhitt was founded by Nick Wheeler in 1986 and has shops around the world including the USA, Paris and the UK, with its flagship shop in London.

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The site in Castle Street became available last year when Virgin Money closed its city branch amid national cuts in July.

It announced it was closing 39 sites across the UK, including the one in Castle Street, with 255 workers facing potential redundancy.

The site has remained empty ever since.