The proposals would see the grade-II listed building extended to its rear, to house a new courtyard with a hotel complex or flats.

It was agreed in October that Norwich City Council would set aside £750,000 to fund initial design work for the plans and an outline business case, setting out the rationale behind the project.

But a Freedom of Information (FOI) request submitted by this newspaper revealed that spending on the project is even higher than this sum, with the total just shy of £1m at the end of last month.

The FOI response shows the council has spent £15,000 on a strategic brief, £141,000 on a strategic outline business case and spatial framework, £191,000 on further scoping work, £387,000 on designs, £202,000 on an outline business case, and £62,000 on........

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