New 432-home scheme first of its kind, says firm

A development of more than 400 homes on the site of a demolished 1970s office block will be a "first of its kind" for the city, a company director said.

Victoria House on Queens Road, Norwich, was razed to the ground in 2024 after it was left vacant when insurance firm Marsh vacated the property following the Covid pandemic.

In its place, a mix of town houses, apartments and duplexes will be built on the site in a "build to rent" scheme.

Adam Zive, the CEO of Zive Capital, which is the company behind the project, said it would be a "world class" development, but the site's neighbours voiced frustration that they could lose light and be overlooked by the new homes.

Before it was approved by Norwich City Council's Planning Committee, the scheme drew criticism over the lack of affordable housing and funding for health services from the developer.

Judith Lubbock, a Liberal Democrat councillor on the authority, said she feared there were signs these needs were "something we are not going to get" out of the developer.

An assessment found that meeting the council's 28% target of affordable homes would not be viable, but Zive Capital has agreed to 10%, which could increase if the scheme makes more money than expected.

Council officers said developers were facing extra costs due to recent changes to regulations, such as biodiversity and safety requirements, which has affected large high-rise developments in particular.

Andrew Turnbull, the council's development strategy manager, said a local house builder estimated it now costed £76,000 more to build a home than five years ago.

Councillors said the scheme would not meet affordable housing targets but ultimately praised the main elements of the project and voted to approve it, with six in favour and four abstaining.

Following the approval, company director Adam Zive said it could take until 2028 before work could begin and the first tenants could move in by 2030.

Zive added: "I think it's going to help rejuvenate the area around St Stephen's, which I think will be huge for Norwich."

The CEO said the company was providing as much affordable housing that it could but said construction costs have risen by 40%.

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