Homes rise from ashes of former shoe factory

19 minutes ago

Paul MoseleyNorfolk political reporter

Flagship Homes Artist's impression of a modern brick apartment block with balconies, landscaped frontage and roadside access. A pedestrian with a dog walks near the entrance, while neighbouring residential buildings are visible in the background under a bright sky. — An artist's impression of the new homes

Work has begun on building dozens of new homes on the site of a former shoe factory which was gutted by fire.

Norwich City Council said the 48 properties – a mixture of one and two-bed flats – would be available to rent for people on its housing register.

The council bought the former Van-Dal factory on Dibden Road following the blaze in January last year, then sold it to social-housing firm Flagship Homes.

The company said it expected construction to be completed by Autumn 2028.

"Social rent homes are the ones the city needs most," said Flagship's managing director, Tony Tann.

"This was a place where generations of local people earned a living, and soon it'll be somewhere people can build their lives."

It took more than three hours to bring flames under control at the former shoe factory

Shaun Whitmore/BBC A drone image of a large red-brick factory building, with most of the roof space collapsed after a fire. Smoke rises from the exposed building, which is surrounded by terraced houses and gardens — It took more than three hours to bring flames under control at the former shoe factory

The factory opened in 1936 and it was Norwich's last shoe factory when it closed in 2018.

Ongoing issues with vandalism followed and after the fire the building was demolished.

Despite objections from some residents about concerns over loss of privacy, plans to redevelop the site were approved last December.

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Flagship will build and manage 35 one-bedroom and 13 two-bedroom flats across two blocks on the site.

The city council said it was supporting the development with money raised when council tenants bought their homes through the Right to Buy scheme.

"We're really pleased to be supporting a scheme that will make such a positive contribution to the city and its communities," said Denise Carlo, the Green cabinet member for housing.