Everyone is invited to come along for a tour, view some of the initial development ideas and share their thoughts. Drinks and nibbles will be provided, but please bring a warm jacket as it is not certain if the heating will be working.
 
Please email your RSVP to Sarah no later than 29 January to info@ournorfolk.org.uk
 
Iain Wilson of Holt-based Byfords, which acquired the property in November, has provided some initial thoughts on the development of the Old Brewery House:

• Time for change: there is a need for the building to reinvent itself and be brought up-to-date with modern-day trends to make it sustainable for the longer term. The market for pubs is reducing. The King’s Arms does a great job across the road so why offer the same thing? The Old Brewery House was at its prime when people smoked in pubs, drink drove, supermarkets were poor, the government not so thirsty on duty and Sky TV did not exist. The bedrooms have never been right and the sports club and banqueting hall are very tired and require too much investment to put right.
• A name change from the Old Brewery House back to the original name of the Dial House (an idea only at this stage).
• The site is larger than we remember. There needs to be a mix of experiences to draw people in for varying reasons to make it stack up – a café, retail, health and beauty, B&B, self-catering, residential houses to give you a feel of our thinking. It needs to become a destination in its own right.
• The centre of Reepham is full of smaller, character buildings, with larger family homes on the outskirts. Our feeling is that the residential housing plans should be quality and based on homes of a smaller size, specifically pitched at the 45+ market.
• If we can, to utilise as much of the existing buildings as possible, particularly the old brewery which is currently the banqueting hall. It will be essential that any development conveys the character of the town.
• That any development forms its own community, with the Old Brewery House in its new form providing a hub and access into the Market Place.

 
Approximate timescale
 
From now to Christmas: development of basic plans and concept.
 
January/February: consult with locals, Town Council, Chamber of Commerce, other relevant societies, planning, conservation and economic development, and gather feedback and thoughts.
 
March/April: revise plans, add more detail, further consultation, feasibility study.
 
May: submit outline planning application.
 
August/September: start building work when our plan is finalised as follows:

• Stage 1: Refurbish roof and exterior of the building and the ground floor to open a café and a retail offer of some description.
• Stage 2: Basic plans and concept.
• Stage 3: Return efforts to the hotel and develop the two wings and upstairs (into what we are not totally sure). This stage is some way off and plans will develop between now and then.

 
See our earlier news stories:

• Byfords completes purchase of the Old Brewery House
• Byfords to purchase Reepham’s Old Brewery House Hotel