What should be done with this eyesore building in King’s Lynn?
Paul Richards. Picture: Ian Burt - Credit: Ian Burt
Calls are being made for an eyesore building in the heart of King's Lynn's historic quarter to be brought back into use.
17, Purfleet Street in King's Lynn with the Custom House in the background. Picture: Matthew Usher. - Credit: Matthew Usher
Number 17 Purfleet Street dates back to 1937 but has been unoccupied for several years.
Revised proposals to renovate the building and add another floor in order to provide an art gallery and split one-bedroom flat have been submitted by Veronica Sekules, an art historian, who was unavailable for comment yesterday.
The application is recommended for refusal by West Norfolk councillors at a meeting on Monday, on the grounds that it would detract from the area.
But Lynn historian Paul Richards believes the plans merit attention.
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He said: 'I know that people would like to see something made of the building.
'It's in a very strategic position, opposite the Custom House, which is a Grade 1 listed building, and something needs to happen there. We need to make the most of it.'
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Known locally as the Winlove building, after a former carpenter and pubkeeper, the two-storey building was previously used for furniture making.
A design and access statement included in the report to council states that: 'The intention is to give the building more presence commensurate with the scale of the surrounding two-and-a-half/three-storey buildings.'
English Heritage is objecting to the plans, which it claims would make the building significantly larger and harm the significance of the Custom House.
Seven letters were sent supporting the application and calling for the building not to be demolished. However, three objections were recorded, stating that the proposal would make an eyesore worse by making it more prominent, and that it would be better to demolish it.
What should be done with the building? Email david.bale2@archant.co.uk
