October 2023
A new £12.4m community hub is set to open in an old Argos building in King’s Lynn after the council stepped in to buy the disused block, in a move that will boost the town’s community services.
Norfolk County Council’s plans for the site, next to Vancouver Quarter Shopping Centre, that once also housed a nightclub on the upper levels, include a new community centre and library. This would be partly funded through £7.4m from the Towns Deal Fund the government awarded West Norfolk Council.
George Cook, GCW senior surveyor, said: ‘It’s going to be a great regeneration project, not only for a very neglected ‘70s building, but as a footfall driver in general. It will reignite current empty space into something that will draw in a mixture of ages and demographics: the focus is going to be toddlers and the elderly, and everything that comes in between.
“Having the support of the council was crucial. This is a success story of a local council working closely with the stakeholders, for the benefit of the town.”
The sale follows on from another GCW letting in King’s Lynn 18 months ago to the Forward Day Centre, an organisation that promotes and assists people with autism and learning difficulties to get back into the workplace.
Cook said “GCW strives to work in partnership with their clients to make projects more accessible to a broad spectrum of people within respective regional locations.”