Norfolk County Council is next week due to agree to the investment so much-needed housing for older people who need extra support to live can be built.
Officers are asking the council’s Conservative-controlled cabinet to agree to put the money towards 87 apartments on the former site of the Griffin public house, in Thorpe St Andrew, on the edge of Norwich.
This scheme, at Griffin Lane, includes 22 two-bed and 65 one-bed rented apartments, for older people whose current home may no longer suit their needs.
The scheme will be run and managed by Housing 21, a not-for-profit registered provider of social housing, with on-site care provided.
The council will have nomination rights so adults with social care needs can be housed there.
The scheme is part of the council’s Independent Living initiative. That includes several similar schemes, where homes have been built so people can remain independent, while saving the council money on costly residential care.
Alison Thomas, Norfolk County Council cabinet member for adult social care (Image: Bill Smith)
Alison Thomas, the council’s cabinet member for adult social care, said: “Next week, the council will consider the proposed seventh scheme of this administration’s Independent Living programme.
“If approved, this initiative would mark a significant advancement in our commitment to fostering inclusive and accessible housing, further supporting people to live independently within their communities.”
The final pints were pulled at the Griffin pub in 2017. Fire ripped through the building in 2021 and it was demolished the following year.
New homes will be built at the site of the former Griffin pub (Image: Denise Bradley)
Planning permission for the housing was agreed as part of Broadland District Council’s recent approval of 480 new homes across three sites in Thorpe St Andrew – Pinebanks, Langley North and Griffin Lane.
Pending the decision by the cabinet on Monday (March 2), construction on the scheme is due to begin this spring.
The homes are due to be completed by spring 2028.