Fire-ravaged store in King's Lynn High Street to be redeveloped into flats and shop

A town centre building destroyed in a fire is to be redeveloped into a new shop and flats.

Permission has been granted for the project at the former Sue Ryder Foundation charity shop on Lynn’s High Street, which was destroyed by a blaze in 2018.

All that remains of the building today is a boarded-up partial front façade.

The redeveloped building will include a new retail space on the ground floor, with two two-bedroom flats on the floors above.

A terrace at the back of the building, facing on to Granary Court, will be accessible by both flats.

Some 40 firefighters were needed in 2018 to tackle the blaze, which left the building still smouldering 24 hours after the fire broke out.

Forensic investigations into the fire’s cause proved inconclusive and the Sue Ryder Foundation subsequently opened a new shop in Lynn’s Norfolk Street in October 2019.

An application to demolish the last remains of the property in 2020 was submitted but was refused by the council.

The King’s Lynn Civic Society said it was “very pleased” to see plans brought forward to bring the space back into use.

“As with the majority of the new flats being provided in repurposed buildings within the town centre, we have some concerns about the size of accommodation and access to storage,” the society said.

“Town centre residents will need access to good quality public space if they have none at home.

“We do recognise that the two flats in this application are bigger than many we have recently seen and that there is cycle storage. The ‘shared terrace’ may also offer some outdoor space.”

The original property was constructed around the 1830s and was used as a fruiterers before becoming a hosiers and drapers and then finally as the Sue Ryder charity shop.

According to a heritage statement, submitted by the applicant’s agent, the new property will include the re-creation of a decorative timber fascia, clay plain tile roof, retention of the original openings and installation of timber sash windows and a traditional timber shop front.

The agent said this will “re-establish the property’s importance as an undesignated heritage asset within a prominent position in the conservation area”.