Sixty-nine new flats could be built on the former site of the Boar's Head on St Stephen's Street and part of Westlegate in what is expected to be a 'car free' development.
Applicant Flagstaff 2 has submitted three parallel planning proposals to Norwich City Council which would convert unused office space on the upper levels of the Boar's Head Yard and 1-17 Westlegate into 60 new apartments, adding two extra storeys to build an additional nine flats.
Boar's Head Yard sits at the junction of St Stephen's Street and Surrey Street while 1-17 Westlegate runs along the south side of the street opposite Tesco Express.
As part of the scheme a new stairway would have to be built with an access through St Stephen's Street. It involves reducing the size of a retail unit which is currently occupied by a little over 3sqm.
In a planning statement on behalf of the applicant, Ingleton Wood building consultants said: 'The immediate surrounding area is currently undergoing major urban regeneration, with notable schemes including the recent pedestrianisation of All Saints Green and Westlegate, the approved planning application for redevelopment of the former Mecca Bingo site and a pending planning application for the redevelopment of St Stephens Towers.
'The latter two developments are likely to comprise buildings of 14 storeys and nine storeys, respectively.'
In a heritage statement submitted with the application, Heritage Collective admits adding two additional storeys to the Westlegate office building 'could be considered harmful in design and heritage terms'.
To counter this they propose to keep the roofline at three storeys when viewed from the street and design the scheme 'so as to enhance the attractiveness of Westlegate as a shopping street and to respect the nearby heritage assets and surrounding conservation area'.
Ingleton Wood add: 'The proposals are considered to provide significantly more benefit than harm.
'It should also be noted that these proposals, along with the wider development of the Boars Head site, provide an opportunity to bring this locally listed building, which has stood mostly empty for almost 10 years, back into a viable use.'
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here