Norfolk County Council (NCC) have applied to adapt the existing Grade II listed Shrublands Youth and Community Centre into a family centre.

The proposal would involve repairs to heritage fabric, internal changes to aid accessibility and staff welfare, and upgrades to the attic and chimney.

Shrublands Youth and Community Centre building. (Image: Google)

Proposed elevations of the family centre. (Image: Great Yarmouth Borough Council)

The building, which is currently vacant and boarded up, would transition to using a low-carbon heating system through the installation of an air source heat pump.

Shrublands Farmhouse is a two-storey brick building which dates back to approximately 1810 and is located centrally within the Shrublands Community Trust site.

It was originally established as an agricultural holding and consisted of a farmhouse, working outbuildings, and cottages for farm labourers.

Shrublands Farmhouse in the 1950s. (Image: Great Yarmouth Borough Council)

Following its farming use, it was gifted to the community in 1949 and became the base for the Shrublands Youth and Community Centre.

Responsibility for the estate passed to Norfolk County Council in 1974 and three years later the Shrublands Trust was formed as a registered charity.

A previous planning application for the site was made in December 2023 and provisionally approved by Great Yarmouth Borough Council in October 2024.

The site is currently boarded up. (Image: Great Yarmouth Borough Council)

Previous plans said the family centre would enable staff to meet demand in looking after children to maintain safe links with their birth families while they wait for courts to make long-term decisions.

This new application would omit the suspended ceilings included in the earlier proposal, with existing ceiling heights and profiles to be retained.

Two new window openings are proposed in the east elevation of the building, one at ground floor level and one at first floor level, to serve family rooms.

Proposed first floor plans of family centre. (Image: Great Yarmouth Borough Council)

A decision on the application is expected by April 20.

You can track the progress of the application on the Great Yarmouth Borough Council planning portal using the following reference number: 06/26/0113/LB

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