What now for the Broadland and South Norfolk offices?

Earlier this month, the council agreed to relocate from its Thorpe Lodge site to a new joint base on the Broadland Business Park, which it will share with South Norfolk Council (SNC).

While SNC has already indicated possible options for its Long Stratton office, once it moves out, so far nothing has been said about Thorpe Lodge, part of which is Grade II listed.

Horizon Centre at Broadland Business Park (Image: Copyright www.mike-page.co.uk)

In contrast to the advanced plans for the south Norfolk base, Broadland council say they are only now starting the process of investigating what to do with their headquarters.

Five possible options for South Norfolk House have already been outlined by council officers in a report to councillors ahead of their decision to move to the Horizon Centre, previously occupied by Aviva.

These were:

• A housing scheme
• A retirement complex or assisted living site
• Commercial use
• Country park/community open space
• Community hall

However, the report said commercial use would not achieve the best return, while a country park would lead to additional costs and a community hall would require the parish council to purchase the building.

A leaked letter, authored by SNC leader, John Fuller, showed he favoured turning their current headquarters into a retirement village which he said would be “a compelling proposition”.

But, Michael Edney, a councillor who quit the Tories to object to the move, has argued that the council's own rules mean it will have to be marketed for business use first before SNC could consider any other options.

A similar report to Broadland councillors provides no options for the site, instead suggesting officers begin to investigate options for Thorpe Lodge and to bring a business case to cabinet in August.

Mr Fuller leaked letter pointed out that the Greater Norwich area has a 3,188 shortfall in the number of homes for supported living.

The council leader said that “a mix of single level flats, bungalows, [and] communal social space” could be developed at the council’s HQ on Swan Lane, with its south-facing open space retained.

South Norfolk Council leader John Fuller (Image: Rose Sapey)

If the complex was built by SNC’s wholly-owned developer, Big Sky Living, Mr Fuller said the authority stood to earn an estimated £4m return on the project.

Both of the current buildings receive few visitors, with South Norfolk receiving an average of nine people a day and Thorpe Lodge eight.

Thorpe Lodge

Broadland's current headquarters was built between 1755 and 1842.

The Grade II listed former house was once home to John Harvey, a wealthy textile manufacturer and banker.

At its peak, it contained a dining room, drawing room, billiard room, 13 bedrooms, extensive servants quarters.

Much of the original building has been given over to office space, but the dining room remains.

According to the Norfolk Heritage Explorer (NHE), the modern offices were built in 1974, originally for the Co-op, gas board or water authority, but never occupied and were taken over by BDC when it was formed in the same year.

A series of underground passages were found when the office accommodation was built and the site also features an underground bunker, built in 1989.

The bunker was a response to a central government order that all local authorities make provision for emergencies. It is now used for storage.

At a recent council meeting Conservative John Fisher rejected the Lib Dem suggestion the authority stay in its current home, and make it more energy efficient. He argued it would not be able to support the number of solar panels needed to power it.

South Norfolk House

Built by architect Michael Innes - the man behind the Castle Mall and the 2006 redesign of Norwich Market - South Norfolk's office was completed in 1974.

Located just outside Long Stratton, it was placed roughly in the geographical centre of the council area.

The architect's website said: "The site was reasonably accessible from a good secondary road network by most of the constituency.

"It was strongly felt that South Norfolk did not wish to be 'lost' in Norwich along with the city and county council but rather wished to assert its own rural identity."

The Horizon office sits in Broadland, close to Norwich.