Proposals to enhance City Hall’s status as a cherished public building and make it a lightning rod for economic prosperity in Norwich have been unveiled today (8 October).
The plans were outlined in a Scrutiny Panel Report for councillors before they go before the cabinet for approval later this autumn.
Councillor Carli Harper, cabinet member for finance and major projects said: “We believe these proposals will preserve City Hall’s heritage and enshrine its status as a much-loved public building while enabling it to become a lightning rod for boosting the city’s economy.
“Our plans will mean a modern accessible City Hall which will be more open to the public and provide a shovel ready scheme for any outcome of the Local Government Review.”
The plans include:
- Creating flexible workspaces
- New public areas on the ground floor, and civic spaces on the first floor
- A new ‘Civic Living Room’ will provide a public space for meetings, events, talks, and exhibitions
- Better accessibility for people with disabilities
- Enhancing and making better use of the building’s lightwells to enable more exhibitions and events
- Workspace Modernisation – which will support agile working, improve space efficiency, enhance wellbeing, and encourage collaboration
The report said its plans would also boost footfall in the city centre boosting the economy by at least £53 million.
Council officers are seeking a further £1 million to take the project to the next stage to obtain listed building consent.
The next stage will be funded from council reserves and will pay for a professional team to take forward the submission of listed build consent which will include architectural fees and the practical development of proposals.
Cllr Harper added: “Simply put we cannot leave things as they are. A do-nothing approach risks the future of City Hall. Investing now will secure City Hall’s viable future as an iconic city landmark for the rest of the century.”
The scrutiny panel will discuss and comment on the report on Thursday, 16 October, before a final report is taken to cabinet for a decision later in the autumn.
And subject to approval by the cabinet, the council will be consulting the public on the final proposals in the new year.
