Venue at former mustard factory site to host events

Some of the current Carrow House tenants at a recent photoshoot

A house on a former mustard factory site is to host weddings and other events after it was granted an alcohol licence.

Grade II-listed Carrow House in Norwich was once home to the Colman family. It was taken on by Norwich Unity Hub at the end of last year.

The Hub's charities sought permission to host performances of plays, dance, live music and film screenings, attracting up to 1,000 people.

Permission was granted by a Norwich City Council meeting to sell alcohol until 23:30 from Monday to Friday - and until 23:00 on Sundays.

Councillors imposed a series of amendments on the conditions of the licence, including ceasing the sale of alcohol half an hour earlier than applied for.

Norwich Unity Hub took on a three-year lease at Carrow House in late 2024

Plans to turn the building into a wedding venue had generated opposition from neighbours living in Bracondale, who worried about "drunken behaviour" from people leaving the venue, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Live music can also go ahead until 23:00 every night, except Sundays.

The Victorian property forms part of the former Colman's Mustard factory site, Carrow Works, which sat empty for years.

Plans for almost 2,000 homes to be built there were refused last year over concerns about a lack of affordable homes.

The Hub has been working with a wedding planner

The city council bought Carrow House from Norfolk County Council for more than £2m in 2021 and invested a further £1.4m in its refurbishment.

But the authority struggled to find a tenant while having to pay £70,000 a year for its upkeep.

Last year, Norwich Unity Hub, a group of charities and social enterprises, took on its lease, signing a low-rent agreement for three years.

Its business development manager Sarah King previously said: "In order to generate income for Norwich Unity Hub, we plan to use the premises for internal and external events.

"We envisage a maximum 100 attendees to such events, although craft fairs may see larger numbers, but more than 1,000 is unlikely."