Key riverfront project postponed – with another ‘scaled back’

A report has revealed that two key town centre projects have been “scaled back” or delayed.Papers prepared by West Norfolk Council’s deputy leader Cllr Simon Ring ahead of the authority’s full meeting tomorrow appears to confirm that the Devil’s Alley project in Lynn has been postponed.The alley is a key part of wider Lynn Town Deal plans seeking to regenerate the riverfront – and as recently as January, those involved said they wanted work to begin “as soon as possible”.

A recent review was set to consider the potential for the project to be broadened to include a wider area of the South Quay and connection through a riverfront corridor to the Southgates area, where further regeneration is already planned.Cllr Ring’s report also touches on the nearby Custom House, which is set to be revived as a multi-purpose public building that would be “visible, active and welcoming to all”.It said: “Meanwhile, the Custom House work has rightly been scaled back to least intervention and historical harm and will come to planning soon.

“The other end of the riverfront project, Devil’s Alley, has been postponed and pushed into the next Town Board phase. “This will give time for better and more inclusive engagement with key people and groups, and also allow us to maybe include a journey to the Southgates.”Cllr Ring’s report adds that work to get the town’s Guildhall theatre to the “next RIBA stage” – meaning the Royal Institute of British Architects – is “moving on at a pace now”.“The tender process is well under way and the next time this comes before scrutiny, cabinet and full council, we will have the tender costed full costs to approve,” he said.

The theatre on King Street is currently undergoing major archaeological works as part of a project designed to breathe new life into the site while preserving its heritage.