Great Yarmouth North Quays regeneration bid moves forward

The huge project now requires Great Yarmouth Council to begin acquiring the land needed to deliver the North Quay Riverside Gateway scheme.

And work is also under way to source an estimated £5m in funding in order to renovate the historic Vauxhall Bridge as part of the project.

Vauxhall Bridge after its refurbishment in 2013 (Image: Newsquest)

But fears have been raised that costs will go up and up and it could take more than a decade to complete.

It is hoped the "once in a generation" development will create a new vibrant destination in the town with £20m of the scheme funded by the government's levelling up fund.

A further £5.1m will come from the Town Deal Fund while an additional £2.2m will be sourced from borrowing.

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Carl Smith, leader of Great Yarmouth Borough Council (Image: Archant)

Efforts to acquire land are now expected to begin which could require compulsory purchasing powers, with £16.4m set aside from the pot for this.

Carl Smith, leader of GYBC, has said the scheme will regenerate an "eyesore" area of the town and "unlock its potential" for the benefit of the whole borough. 

But Trevor Wainwright, leader of the Great Yarmouth Labour group, fears it could be a potentially expensive and lengthy project.

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Trevor Wainwright, leader of the Labour group in Great Yarmouth (Image: Newsquest)

He said: "It is great that this is moving forward and we are fully in support of the regeneration of the North Quay area.

"But it is a huge project that will likely take a decade to come to fruition.

"The £20m funding sounds like a lot but a project on this scale will likely cost more."

Time is ticking on, with the council facing a deadline of March 2026 to spend the government's funding otherwise it will have to return it.