Cromer Building Restoration in Line for National Award

3 Cabbell Road - a Cromer THI-funded
restoration project

North Norfolk District Council's three-year building renovation and restoration scheme at the heart of Cromer's regeneration programme has earned a major building trade accolade, and is now in line for a national award.

The Cromer Townscape Heritage Initiative (THI) earned the title of best regeneration scheme in the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) East of England awards in Cambridge on 11 May. Cromer THI was also named runner-up project out of all the region's category winners (behind the Earth Sheltered Housing Scheme at Honingham, developed by Peddars Way Housing Association).

Cromer THI now goes forward to the RICS awards grand final in October, competing against building projects - some of them globally-renowned - from around the UK and beyond.

The THI programme has seen £2.5 million spent on 24 highly-visible, high-priority buildings in the centre of the resort town to repair and restore them to a standard befitting Cromer's nickname: "The Gem of the Norfolk Coast". The funding has mainly come from the European Union, the Heritage Lottery Fund and North Norfolk District Council. In all, about £10 million from different sources has been spent on different aspects of the regeneration of Cromer.

The Cromer award follows a pattern set by Fakenham, whose regeneration scheme - also initiated by North Norfolk District Council - earned awards from the British Council of Shopping Centres, the Norfolk Society and the Royal Town Planning Institute.

Councillor Hilary Nelson, NNDC's Historic Buildings Champion, said: "We're enormously proud of the work that has been done in Cromer, not only by North Norfolk District Council but by all our partners and especially by the community itself. So it's very gratifying to have that work recognised by the industry professionals.

"Good luck in the grand final, Cromer!"

• For more information about the RICS and its annual award scheme, visit: www.rics.org.uk

ENDS