Empty Debenhams store at King's Lynn could be converted to apartments

The former Debenhams department store in Lynn town centre may be turned into housing.

The iconic building at 10-16 High Street has stood empty since May 2020 when Debenhams made the shock announcement that it would not re-open after its enforced closure in the early days of the Covid lockdown.

Now plans have been submitted to West Norfolk Council asking permission for change of use – from retail to residential. The proposals ask for the first and second floors of the imposing building to be converted into five dwellings with the ground floor providing access points and refuse and cycle storage.

In its heyday Debenhams was one of Lynn's largest and most popular department stores with its long frontage dominating the southern end of the High Street and spilling down Union Lane into Baxters Court.

Debenhams took over the former family business Jermyns in 1943 and changed its name in the 1970s.

When Debenhams ran into trouble, the Lynn store was one of few in the UK to survive but along with many other retailers it closed at the start of the pandemic and disappointingly never reopened, dealing a major blow to the town's retail community.

Debenhams called in administrators and a spokesman told the Lynn News at the time: “Debenhams can confirm that its store in King's Lynn will not be reopening, as we were unable to agree appropriate terms with the landlord of the building."