A £3m investment in a disused Norwich office building has transformed it into what developers hope will be the city newest tech and creative hub.
Fuel Studios has opened upstairs in Pottergate's Kiln House, where the Jobcentre occupies ground floor space, and is already at capacity, with the potential to transform further space in the future.
Among the 20 tenants so far are Lee Nash Creative, Wavelength Films Limited and Dancing Yak Productions, with recent arrivals J&S Jewellery and The Nor-Folk Limited, and developers TCN hope Fuel Studios can capitalise on the 'buzz in the Norwich Lanes'.
Toby Bidwell, chief operating officer of TCN said: 'Norwich is emerging as an exciting location for business. The speed with which Fuel Studios has attracted innovative businesses demonstrates that there is a real appetite for collaborative enterprise space in the city.
'We are pleased to have created a thriving environment for small companies and entrepreneurial start-ups in particular, to connect and engage with like-minded people.'
Mr Bidwell said TCN, which already has similar projects in Birmingham, London and Bristol, had been attracted by the high number of skilled graduates coming from Norwich's two universities.
The company is also working with Norwich University of the Arts and its Ideas Factory, which provides incubator space to students looking to establish creative and digital businesses, with a view to building stronger links to other companies.
'It's very important to us to have that intellectual stimulation and rate of retention of postgraduates as support for the tech sector and other areas,' added Mr Bidwell.
Over the past six months the building has undergone extensive refurbishment to add workspace and meeting rooms, and TCN estimates the total cost at £3m, including purchase of the building.
But Mr Bidwell added: 'We have a programme of refurbishment over the next three years. This is a long-term proposition.'
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