Demolition of landmark city block gathers pace

Work to demolish a prominent city centre office block is gathering pace.

Cranes can now be seen tearing down the former Marsh Insurance building, Victoria House, in Queens Road, Norwich. It has stood empty for more than two years.

The interiors of the 1970s' building have now been exposed, with the surrounding area fenced off.

Residential investment firm Zive Capital purchased the site and plan to redevelop it.

The developer confirmed the operation to demolish the block would take eight weeks.

Staff were relocated in 2022 to the Broadland Business Park on the outskirts of the city, and the building has remained empty ever since.

Norwich City Council gave the go-ahead in September for its demolition.

The developer confirmed in July that work was finally starting on knocking down the offices.

It also said it would carry out "extensive" consultation with the local community and interested parties to shape its proposals, before it submitted a planning application for the brownfield site.

It said it wanted to construct a "mixed use" development with "industry-leading environmental and design credentials".

Zive Capital said it would be keeping the local community informed of its work and plans and would be setting up a community WhatsApp group and newsletters.

Before the building opened in the 1970s, the area was home to the former Norwich Victoria train station and goods yard.

According to eagle-eyed TV viewers, the office block also featured as a police station in The Chief TV series, which ran from 1990 to 1995 and starred Norfolk-based actor Martin Shaw.

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