Owners of listed pump station ordered to repair it

Legal action is being taken against the owners of an endangered Victorian landmark over concerns the building has become a ruin.

Norwich City Council has issued an enforcement notice demanding urgent repairs to the privately-owned Trowse Pumping Station, on the outskirts of Norwich.

The Grade II listed building was damaged in a fire in 2023 and The Victorian Society listed it as among its top 10 most at-risk buildings in the country.

The urgent works notice has been issued to Serruys, a family-owned development company, that the BBC has contacted for comment through a representative.

At a meeting this week, Adam Giles, Labour cabinet member for planning, said: "The deterioration of this building in recent times has been deeply disappointing.

"We have issued a notice requiring the owner to take action to make it safe urgently."

Previously, Norwich City Council said the owners had been "unwilling to engage to find a solution" for restoring the structure, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The building opened in 1869 following a campaign from locals concerned about the high level of pollution in the surrounding rivers.

A second pumping station was constructed at the site in 1909 and the entire original complex remains, featuring unique designs of the period.

The site was purchased from the council in 2003 by Serruys and was last used as a furniture workshop, but it has since become derelict.

In November 2023, the building was ravaged by fire, which left the roof severely damaged.

The fire was treated as arson by the fire service, along with two further fires at the Deal Ground site in Bracondale and the disused St Andrew's Hospital in Thorpe St Andrew.

A teenager was arrested in connection with a string of suspected arson attacks, but faced no further action after police closed the case.

Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.