Cromer Crab Factory up for sale. PHOTO: ANTONY KELLY

Businesses are already lining up to buy the former Cromer Crab Factory after it went on sale today (Wednesday).

Aerial view of Cromer Crab Factory; Photo credit: HexCam.

It comes after Young’s Seafood, which owns the well-established factory, announced in May this year that the site would be closed with the loss of 160 jobs.

Norwich-based, property and business consultants Brown & Co are overseeing the £1.35m sale.

Chartered surveyor Andrew Haigh said Young’s were “very keen” to retain the unit as an employment site locally either for food production or other manufacturing.

“We’ve had expressions of interest from both local food production and local manufacturing companies,” he said.

“And the intention is that it remains as a factory.”

Mr Haigh described the site - which boasts offices, a warehouse, a large concrete surfaced yard, blast freezers, chill stores, cold stores, staff welfare facilities, parking for approximately 70 vehicles and changing rooms - as “a bespoke, state of the art facility”.

After eight months of uncertainty Young’s announced that the site would be closed by the summer with the loss of more than 100 jobs.

And despite plenty of support from the town the factory closed its doors for the final time last month.

Remaining staff were offered the chance to stay with the company as more than 350 jobs were created at Grimsby, but a total of 160 jobs were lost in total.

Tom Fitzpatrick, portfolio member for business enterprise and economic development at North Norfolk District Council, although “not happy” about the loss of production, said he was positive about how it had gone on the market.

“It’s gone on with the view to be used as a production unit - it’s the one good thing out of the situation,” he said.

“We hope manufacturing will be restored to the site.”

He added that the district council would work with interested parties to give support, assistance and encouragement to anyone who would be interested in the site.

The total site area is 14,892sq m (3.68 acres) - about the size of two football pitches.