Developer Willmott Dixon Developments and outlet specialist Rioja Estates have submitted a planning application for a £150m mixed-use regeneration of Great Yarmouth’s North Quay.
Called Quayside, it would deliver a mix of outlet retail, leisure, hospitality, hotel, residential and public realm next to the railway station. It would reconnect the town centre with the waterfront via The Conge, a former industrial zone.
The plan is to build a 70-unit, open-air outlet retail village, multistorey car park, food quarter, a “leisure box” with IMAX-ready cinema, conferencing and co-working spaces, a 120-key hotel and up to 60 homes with views over the river.
The developers said the scheme would attract two million additional visits to Great Yarmouth each year and 1,270 onsite jobs.
Public consultations were held in February and July this year, which led to refinements to the masterplan.
‘It worked in Ashford, Gloucester and Portsmouth’
“We know that when you introduce a high-quality, value-led destination … and combine it with strong leisure, overall footfall rises, dwell time increases and the wider town centre benefits,” said Rioja Estates managing director Giles Membrey.
“Evidence from outlets at Ashford, Gloucester and Portsmouth demonstrates that they act as catalysts for investment, employment and renewed confidence.”
Matthew Knight, head of development at Willmott Dixon Developments, said extensive collaboration with Great Yarmouth Borough Council and local stakeholders went into the application.
The planning application has been submitted in parallel with the final stages of the Great Yarmouth Local Plan, expected to be adopted in September 2026.
Cross-party council support
Great Yarmouth Borough Council has led land assembly and secured £20m from the government’s Levelling Up Fund.
“To see the planning application submitted for Quayside in Great Yarmouth is an enormous step forward,” said Conservative council leader Carl Smith.
“Regenerating this key gateway location at North Quay will provide the biggest transformation the town has seen in decades and will deliver huge benefits for the borough and its vital tourism industry.”
He added: “There has been a huge amount of work to get to this point and we look forward to continuing to work with Rioja Estates and Willmott Dixon Developments as the project continues.”
Councillor Trevor Wainwright, leader of the Labour Group at the council, said: “The detailed work that has gone into this planning application means our ambitious vision for Great Yarmouth’s neglected North Quay can now be realised.”
A decision on the planning application is expected in early 2027. If approved, work would begin on site in 2028 with an opening date in 2030.
