People working and living near the site in Magdalen Street say it is like a fog that has left them coughing and suffering with irritated eyes.

Others describe a metallic taste as they walk near the former 1960s shopping centre which is being torn down to be redeveloped.

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Water is being sprayed by DSM - the contractors leading the demolition - in an effort to minimise dust being created from the work.  

And a spokesman from Norwich City Council, which is leading the redevelopment project, said the contractor is “implementing all practical measures on site to address dust by damping down surfaces and using various suppression systems to mitigate the dust generated by the demolition activities”.

Water being sprayed on the site (Image: Jack Warren)

But Leroy Barrett, who runs Mercury Communications in Magdalen Street, described the water as “useless”.

The 53-year-old added: “I sit here watching plumes of it go by.

“The spray is honestly like a hosepipe. Dust is everywhere - it’s definitely airborne.

“Sometimes they don’t spray.

“They should screen it off, we were told they were going to screen off the car park.

Leroy Barrett (Image: Jack Warren)

“I have flaps on the door just to limit the dust coming in but it still gets in. My chest feels heavy.

“Last week they pulled the building down in front of my shop. It was like fog.

“I get loads of people talk to me about it. They come in here rubbing their eyes."

Dust can be seen along the road (Image: Jack Warren)

METALLIC TASTE IN THE AIR

Others on the street have reported a metallic taste in the air and effects such as coughing and itchy eyes.

Kelvin Mitchell, 55, who works at Secondhand Land, a second hand shop on the street, said: “Sometimes if the wind is blowing and you look down the street you can’t see because of the dust.

“It’s a health concern and a business concern.

“The whole street is choked with dust.

Dust on the pavement on Magdalen Streer (Image: Jack Warren)

“My eyes stream when I walk down the street.

“They should net it off or something but even that might not prevent it."

Kelvan Mitchell, of Secondhand Land (Image: Jack Warren)

“It’s a health concern and a business concern.

“The whole street is choked with dust.

“I washed my car yesterday and it is covered in dust today."

Dust has covered Mr Mitchell's car (Image: Jack Warren)

Dust can be seen in the street near the site (Image: Jack Warren)

Some who work in the street have not had any issues, adding the dust is a short-term problem for a longer-term gain.

Millie Devon, 29, who works in St Saviours Yard under the flyover, said: “It has not been a problem.

“I’ve not really noticed anything.”

Millie Devon of Black Hearts Jewellery (Image: Jack Warren)

Ben Moore, 25 lives in the area, said: “A little bit of dust for a few months isn’t bad."

Kris Webster 42, who also lives near the site, added: “I hadn’t noticed the dust and I come past all the time.

“I just want to see the end product."

Ben Moore (left) and Kris Webster (Image: Jack Warren)

In its day, the original Anglia Square project of the 1960s was a forward-thinking example of city planning.

Sovereign House was built for Her Majesty's Stationery Office in the late 1960s, and a cinema and multi-storey car park - the beginning of Anglia Square - followed in 1970. 

An aerial view of the demolitions (Image: Wayne Stuart)

In 2023 a scheme to regenerate the site and build 1,100 homes was approved by Norwich City Council in a narrow vote at the end of an eight-hour meeting.

The shopping centre opened in 1970 (Image: Newsquest)

Developer Weston Homes, with investment firm Columbia Threadneedle, applied to demolish the brutalist shopping centre, along with the neighbouring Sovereign House and Gildengate House.

But the scheme faltered after Weston Homes axed its plans due to financial issues.

To keep the project alive, Norwich City Council bought the site in December 2024 through a £34m grant from Homes England.

Anglia Square in 1989 (Image: Newsquest)

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