Land in Dereham Road in Norwich set for shops and HMO

Under proposals submitted to Norwich City Council at the start of September, the land at 568 Dereham Road could soon be transformed into two new shops and a block of flats.

Located behind the row of shops in Larkman Lane, at the crossroads with Dereham Road, the land has been empty for years.

The land has been vacant for years (Image: Denise Bradley) Currently, the vacant plot is a rear yard for the shops along Larkman Lane and stores rubble.

It is ringed by an "unsightly cinder block wall" which will be removed and replaced to be more in keeping with the rest of the houses in the street.

The building, named Flovan Haven, will have three flats, each with three bedrooms, and each rented out as a house in multiple occupation (HMO).

The block will contain three flats and two shops (Image: Lizben) According to the planning statement, prepared by Small Fish for applicants at Honeycrown 101 Ltd: "There has been a significant trend for this form of housing in the private rented market in Norwich in recent years.

"This is in part due to the accommodation needs of the city’s substantial student population, but also to address a general need for low-cost accommodation for young professionals unable to afford home ownership.

READ MORE: New beauty salon set to open at popular swimming pool in city outskirts

"Each of the proposed flats is over 95sqm and therefore exceeds the internal space standards for three-bedroom dwellings able to accommodate up to six people."

The land is hidden from the road by a large wall (Image: Google) The flat block will also have two shop spaces on the ground floor which will look out over Dereham Road.

These will extend the Larkman district retail centre, which already consists of an Aldi, post office, convenience store, hair dressers and fish and chip shop.

Norwich City Council will aim to make a decision about the plans by November 11.