The Debenham’s building in Norwich city centre is likely to be redeveloped next year after a prolonged pause, despite widespread protest.
The five storey department store has stood empty since the retailer collapsed in 2021, becoming a prominent vacant site in the city.
Proposals to demolish most of the structure and replace it with student accommodation were first submitted at the start of last year. The scheme would deliver 377 student rooms alongside retail units at ground floor level. Since then, progress has stalled, but developers now expect movement on the Norwich Debenhams student flats plans.
Agents acting for the developers have said they understand a recommendation to grant planning permission will be made in 2026. The proposals, put forward by Orford House Developments Limited, would see most of the existing building knocked down and rebuilt to a height of eight storeys.
The plans have generated opposition. Campaign group Save Britain’s Heritage described the current building as “handsome” and warned that demolition “would cause substantial harm” to the surrounding conservation area. Questions have also been raised about whether the city needs more student accommodation at all.
Green city councillor Martin Schmierer said Norwich already has more than enough student housing properties.
While he is a fan of the building and would be happy to see it brought back into use, he believes it should be repurposed for lower cost housing with communal areas aimed at residents not studying at the university. He also criticised the demolition element of the Norwich Debenhams student flats proposal.
“We are living in an environmental and ecological crisis, and the amount of carbon that that would create and put into our atmosphere is simply unjustifiable,” he said.
Labour councillor Carli Harper, the council’s deputy leader, described the current state of the site as an “eyesore”.
She said she was hopeful of “some activity there soon” and added that Norwich council’s recent decision to limit new student accommodation had already taken the Debenhams scheme into account, meaning it would not be “a breach of that policy”.
A spokesman for the company’s agents, Lanpro, said the application had been delayed by the “challenges of nutrient neutrality”. This government policy is designed to prevent further increases in nutrient levels in rivers, which are already affected by sewage and agricultural run off.
The spokesman said ODHL had been on “a long journey” with the plans and that council officers were expected to recommend approval, allowing the Norwich Debenhams student flats redevelopment to proceed. “[Their] objective has always been to transform a dilapidated, outdated, and obsolete building into a thriving student accommodation hub with vibrant retail units at ground floor level,” he said.
