Hay Hill Delays and City Centre Disruption
£3.2 million has already been spent on the project to overhaul Hay Hill in Norwich City Centre. The scheme, which began in April 2023, involves the installation of some benches and a water feature. All work was supposed to have been completed by this summer, yet October approaches and the area remains cordoned off.
Inquests in the press have fallen on deaf ears, and so far little information had been revealed as for the cause of the delay, so Cllr Caroline Ackroyd submitted a question to the leader of the city council, asking for clarification.
Cllr Caroline Ackroyd
"Two years after the work started Hay Hill remains unfinished and closed off by metal barriers. For such a focal point in the city centre to be left as a building site for this length of time has caused much dismay and comment, not only on the length of time taken for this relatively straightforward redevelopment but also the costs incurred. Several residents in my ward of Eaton have asked questions about Hay Hill on a range of topics including, the time taken, the additional works and communication with the public on how the money is being spent. In short, they are asking has this project delivered value for money and whether it will be seen as a huge disappointment in terms of improvements on what was there before?”
(pictured, left to right: Cllr Ackroyd, James Hawketts, Cllr Lubbock)
You can view the leader's written response here:
By way of a supplementary, Caroline asked for more detail on why the scheme had been so delayed, saying that much acrimony had been built up because the city council had been unwilling to address the issue in the recent past. The leader cited poor service from contractors, delays in supply chains when importing building materials from Portugal, and the fact that the water feature, once built, had sprung a leak, so it now needs to be dug up.
It had come out earlier last month that city hall was in a contract dispute over the project, but all parties were reluctant to comment publicly.
Cllr Ackroyd's exchange with the leader of the council can be viewed below: