Pound Garage near Norwich set for rebuild after fire

Proposals put forward by Pound Garage will see the building, which was ravaged in a blaze five years ago, rebuilt with on-site parking and a new office and toilet block added to the site.

But those living near the site in Frettenham, a village roughly six miles north of Norwich, have objected to the plans raising concerns over safety and the blocking of light into a neighbouring property.

Despite the objections, Broadland District Council has approved plans for the rebuild.

Part of the garage was destroyed by the fire (Image: Newsquest)

Oliver Hannant, 31, who owns the garage said: "I am really happy.

"It has been pretty stressful trying to get it all sorted.

"What we had originally planned was something very different to what we will now be building, but everything will still be finished to a much higher standard.

"The local council has been really helpful and supportive throughout, for which I am grateful.

"We hope that the building work will be finished by Christmas - it is very cold working here over winter." 

The plans will see further parking spaces built on site, as well as the restoration of the damaged store and workshop (Image: AP Designs via Broadland District Council)

The family business was hit by a fire in December 2019 after what Mr Hannant has been told was likely caused by an electrical fault.

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"The fuse box was really old and might not have tripped properly. 

"The report put the blaze down to an electrical fault, maybe caused by rodents chewing through wires, but it wasn't really conclusive."

Oliver Hannant has continued working out of part of the site (Image: Newsquest)

Mr Hannant first applied for planning permission at the end of June 2023 and within a month had three objections from villagers, with some concerned for pedestrian safety in the area with increased traffic.

Frettenham Parish Council suggested building a public walkway to help, which has not been included in the final plans.

The owners of one of the nearby homes raised alarm when a shadow tracking analysis was submitted to the Broadland District Planning Portal which showed that they would lose a lot of light out of two of the rooms at the back of their house because of the build.

"It is devastating news that permission has been granted," said Pound Garage neighbour Leanne Hoy, aged 35.

The garage is still suffering from fire damage (Image: Newsquest)

"We live in an old property with small windows, and the proposed building work will block out the light we have in our living room and bedroom.

"The garage also parks cars down the road towards the junction which makes it hard to see when pulling out and driving in. If they now extend this will only get worse."

Pound Garage has until June 5, 2027, to begin the work, and has to have completed the on-site parking before the rest of the development can go ahead.