The completion of the North Walsham Market Place and other town centre improvements as part of the High Street Heritage Action Zone (HAZ) Project has been marked with an event involving representatives from Historic England, North Norfolk District Council and New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP).
The event on 11 May involved a tour of the revamped Market Place and other nearby improvements and included speeches from Tony Calladine, East of England Regional Director for Historic England, North Norfolk District Council (NNDC) Chief Executive Steve Blatch and LEP CEO Chris Starkie.
Speeches were followed by performances from The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and North Walsham High School. The representatives were then taken on a tour of the completed works within the town and Market Place.
The ground-changing North Walsham High Street Heritage Action Zone (HAZ) project, funded by Historic England, New Anglia LEP and NNDC, saw works completed in the Market Place to improve the balance between pedestrians and vehicles to help create a safer environment for all.
The project also included a regeneration of the Church Approach area, which included new benches, trees, plants and remedial works to the buildings around the slope.
In addition to these works, a wider investment in the town has delivered a new Travel Hub at the New Road Car Park, upgrades to the New Road toilet facilities, and a new toilet block on Vicarage Street Car Park.
Community events, workshops and additional grant funding to building owners have also been supported by the HAZ Project since its launch in 2020.
Tony Calladine, East England Regional Director, Historic England, said: “It’s wonderful to see this remarkable transformation in the town, from the visually welcoming area of Church Approach to the huge undertaking of the Market Place renovations. Partnership working with North Norfolk District Council and the New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership has led to some remarkable outcomes, and this work continues with exciting projects to revitalise The Cedars and the former Barclays Bank. North Walsham’s historic character shines through and offers an attractive experience for residents and visitors alike.”
Chris Starkie said: “North Walsham, like other town centres in our region, serves a substantial hinterland, and making it more pedestrian-friendly and accessible will improve trading conditions and strengthen its economic viability. It is crucial that our town and city centres receive the financial support need in order to thrive, especially after the disruption of recent years, and I’m delighted to see first-hand the enhancements delivered by this project.”
