Changes to initial plans for a major project to revitalise a key gateway into the city have been revealed.
The Nelson Hotel, opposite Norwich rail station, will be demolished and replaced by a new hotel, student accommodation and new homes under ambitious plans revealed at the beginning of the year.
Hospitality giant Whitbread, which owns the Premier Inn site at the bottom of Prince of Wales Road, launched a public consultation in the spring where it laid out the proposal, outlining the broader strokes of the development.
It intends to replace the existing hotel and restaurant with a larger, more modern Premier Inn and introduce new purpose-built accommodation for students and new homes - although the number of both types is yet to be revealed.
The development also includes new green spaces with an "enhanced" river walkway, promoting easier access to the train station and nearby Riverside leisure facilities.
An initial deadline for submitting a full planning application to Norwich City Council was missed, however, Whitbread is now aiming for a September submission as it launches a second consultation phase.
In its latest designs, the group proposes a reduction in the height of the student block and a stepped facade to the residential building, enhancing views of St Faith's House and the Old Weaver Building.
In total, the proposal will create 129,166sqft (12,000sqm) of publicly accessible space, including a widened promenade and an expanded urban plaza with "ample" seating.
Richard Pearson, senior development manager for Whitbread, said: "Our refined proposals build on the meaningful consultation we undertook with the site team, local community, our neighbours, key stakeholders and the council earlier this year.
"We have received strong support for what we are seeking to achieve and our updated proposals have been shaped by the many comments we received as well as further input from our architect, landscape and planning teams and officers at Norwich City Council.
"At Norwich Nelson, our goal is to create a new development which refreshes the hotel offer for our guests, makes the best use of the gateway location and provides high-quality public space for the city.
READ MORE: City folk have their say on hotel rebuild plans
"Celebrating the rich history of Norwich is also important to us and we're looking forward to receiving further comments on our refined plans as we progress towards submitting a planning application for the development to the city council in the autumn."
The Nelson was built in 1971 following the demolition of the Great Eastern Hotel in 1963.
An initial timeline revealed by Whitbread was for plans to be submitted in May or June in the hope of the city council deciding by February 2025, so that work could start that spring with the target of the hotel reopening by June 2027.
With the site, including the former Costa coffee shop, looking increasingly rundown and vandalised, initial news of the plans was widely welcomed.
That included Stefan Gurney, executive director of the Norwich Business Improvement District, saying the organisation was "delighted" that one of the "key gateways into the city centre" would be revitalised.
READ MORE: 'Delight' as major plans for new hotel and housing at 'run down' city site emerge
More than 380 survey responses were received by Whitbread during the initial consultation as 2,600 people attended two public exhibitions.
The updated plans will be on display at two more drop-in events at The Nelson Table restaurant on July 17 and 18.
Further details can be found at norwichnelson.co.uk.
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