Great Yarmouth compulsory purchase probed for 'eyesore' land

The council wants to make North Quay less of a "blight" on the seaside town

A compulsory purchase order could be made to enable a council to regenerate an area of a seaside town which it admits is "an eyesore".

North Quay in Great Yarmouth, in Norfolk, could be turned into "an exciting new waterfront quarter" if the borough council gets its way.

The land is owned by a number of different people and the council said despite "generous offers", it has failed to reach an agreement.

A decision will be made on 12 July.

Great Yarmouth Borough Council is also bidding for up to £20m from the government's Levelling Up Fund to help prepare the site and pay for key infrastructure.

It plans to improve facilities for commuters and tourists and encourage the use of environmentally-friendly public transport.

The revamp would also significantly improve cycling facilities, linking up with routes into the town and beyond to the Norfolk Broads, the council said.

Conservative council leader Carl Smith said: "This area has blighted the entrance to the town from the A47 and from the train station for too long.

"We have made generous offers to land owners to buy the land and we will continue talking to them but we can't allow them to hold things up any longer.

"There is so much potential with the river and Breydon Water on one side and the link into the town centre on the other. We are determined to unlock that for the benefit of the whole borough."

A decision on whether to authorise use of compulsory purchase powers will be made by the council at a meeting on 12 July.