Plans for Norwich rooftop restaurant blocked by council

Norwich City Council has blocked proposals for the new venue above a row of shops in St Stephen's Street due to fears it would be out of character with its surroundings. 

This is the latest in a series of unsuccessful bids to transform the site after it was purchased by developers Estateducation and JaeVee three years ago. 

Most recently, City Hall refused an application to transform the upper floors of the building into more than 40 new apartments due to concerns about the standard of living it would provide. 

The vacant offices in Westlegate will not be turned into apartments (Image: Antony Kelly)

The new bar and restaurant was proposed for the rooftop of the Boar's Head, which is occupied by retailers such as Snappy Snaps and Jonathan Trumbull on its ground floor and was formerly used as office space on its upper levels. 

The building is attached to another row of offices on Westlegate, both of which are owned by the developers and have been subject to several planning applications to be turned into flats. 

To provide access to the residential complex as well as the restaurant, a vacant unit next to Adnams and another in St Stephens Street were also proposed to be turned into lobbies, which raised concerns with the council about the loss of retail space. 

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The vacant unit next to Adnams (Image: William Warnes)

However, these applications have all been scrapped and it remains to be seen how the empty offices will be repurposed. 

Officials at City Hall said the proposed restaurant and bar was "poorly designed" and would be out of character with the surrounding area. 

They also raised concerns about the impact of noise and smell from the venue on those living in nearby properties and others using public spaces around the site.