The creation of new offices in a building council bosses bought in a £2.25m deal has been hailed as a key milestone in a major project to regenerate the east of Norwich.
The council has now refurbished what is known as New Carrow House into five floors of more than 25,000 square foot of office space - and is looking for tenants.
Carrow House is a combination of a Grade-II listed former home of the Colman family, including an ornate Victorian conservatory, and a post-Second World War office building, known as New Carrow House.
New Carrow House has been refurbished and work is continuing on Carrow House, which dates back to 1860.
That will provide more office space and include the restoration of the conservatory.
Council leaders say the refurbishment and repurposing of the complex is a key part in the regeneration of east Norwich.
That scheme - the East Norwich Masterplan - is a blueprint for the development of former industrial sites in Carrow and Trowse, including the former Colman factory site.
The city received £25m from the government's Towns Fund bid to kickstart that scheme and a chunk of that is being used for the work at Carrow House.
Mike Stonard, Norwich City Council cabinet member for inclusive and sustainable growth and chair of the east Norwich partnership, said: “We’re delighted to have completed the first part of our restoration of Carrow House and be able to offer businesses low-cost, flexible office space set in beautiful grounds, near the river and station.
“These are exciting times for east Norwich with the recently completed Town Deal funded masterplan setting out a vision for the future regeneration of the area, which has the potential to be a new urban quarter for the city – offering around 3,600 new homes and 4,000 new jobs.”
Property company Roche is managing and handling the let of the new office space.
The King Street building was, most recently, home to the county council's social work team and the coroner's office, but these departments have switched to County Hall.
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