Zive Capital has achieved a resolution to grant planning permission for a 432-home mixed-use development, which is set to be Norwich’s first Build-to-Rent scheme.
Victoria Gardens, designed by Broadway Malyan, will be a new residential-focused development in the centre of the city, transforming the site on Queens Road into a new neighbourhood of homes, alongside business incubator and retail space and new landscaped public open space.
The project is Norwich’s first purpose-built BtR development, which will respond to growing demand for rented homes in a city-centre location.
The site was previously home to the former Marsh building, which had lain vacant since the pandemic, and has now been cleared to make way for the development.
The site masterplan was created with the aim of reconnecting to the surroundings, opening up routes and spaces to integrate the development with existing communities and neighbouring streets.
New pedestrian links and landscaped courtyards will extend the public realm deeper into the site, creating a network of green spaces for residents and visitors. Improving permeability and restoring activity and movement to a previously closed-off site stitches the development into the wider urban fabric of Norwich.
New landscaping will introduce a series of planted courtyards and communal gardens to provide accessible outdoor spaces, which have been designed to support biodiversity while enhancing well-being and social interaction for residents.
Alongside homes, the scheme provides approximately 500 sq m of flexible commercial and start-up space, supporting Norwich’s growing creative and digital sectors.
Luke Walter, director of architecture at Broadway Malyan, said: “Victoria House represents a rare opportunity to transform a prominent city centre site into a new neighbourhood for Norwich. Our design focuses on reconnecting the site back into the city through new landscape and pedestrian routes, while delivering high-quality homes alongside spaces for the creative and tech start-ups that are a vital part of Norwich, in a highly sustainable city-centre location.”
Adam Zive, principal at Zive Capital, added: “Securing a resolution to grant consent for Victoria Gardens is a significant milestone and reflects our ambition to create thriving, long-term communities. The team has proposed a world-class sustainable development which, as Norwich’s first Build-to-Rent development, will bring much-needed homes, new public spaces and investment to this important part of the city.”
