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Talks ongoing on proposed 91-bedroom city hotel

Mariam Issimdar
News imageDavid Freezer/BBC A rundown four-storey building is shown with graffiti and on its boarded windows and a letting agent sign on its wall, with an historic guildhall in the foreground.David Freezer/BBC
The former Tesco site in Norwich city centre, which is set to become a 91-bed hotel, prior to the murals being painted

Developers trying to strike a deal with a hotel and restaurant chain have confirmed talks are progressing.

Ward Hill Walker said the future of the Norwich city-centre building which used to house Tesco and a department store in the 19th Century remained "promising".

The building stands next to the historic Guildhall but has stood empty since May 2022 despite planning permission for a 91-bed hotel being secured.

Norwich property agents Ward Hill Walker said: "Discussions with Travelodge are progressing, and the team remains committed to securing the successful outcome that Norwich deserves."

News imageStreet art being created on a building's exterior wall. The area has barriers to allow the artists to work. Shoppers walk past. It is sunny.
A partnership with a street artists' collective has allowed them to utilise the walls of the empty buildings

The building, which stretches from Guildhall Hill to Pottergate, was once the Chamberlin & Sons department store and was rebuilt after a fire in 1898.

Some smaller shops remain on its Dove Street side following a partial demolition, but security barriers had become increasingly covered in graffiti.

Ward Hill Walker said while redevelopment discussions continued, the building's walls could be used by street artists.

It has commissioned the Reprezent Project, a local collective which champions social engagement, to "bring energy, colour and a sense of pride to an area that means so much to so many".

Sarah Hill of Ward Hill Walker added: "We hope everyone will enjoy the vibrant installation while we continue the work to bring this historic building back to life."

News imageWilliams Gallagher An artist's impression of a building shows a large tree in front of a cafe with green shop frontage on the ground floor and hotel rooms above it in a red-brick style.Williams Gallagher
An artist's impression of the Pottergate side of the hotel site, from plans approved by Norwich City Council in 2021

The developer admitted the building was in a "poor state" in July but told the BBC that it was a "priority" to tidy up the increasingly shabby site.

Reprezent is a not-for-profit that was launched by Ruben Cruz in 2016 after he arrived in Great Yarmouth from Portugal aged 16.

Its artists have completed murals on the building in recent weeks featuring local references including Julian of Norwich and a canary, in reference to the city's football club.

A notice on the building from Reprezent states: "Norwich is a city full of art, and we are proud to bring new colour to an area rich with history and memories."

News imageMural reflecting Norwich's association with a canary. Large painting of the bird is on a building's wall. A shopper walks past the building.
Artwork reflects Norwich's links to the canary bird

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