The planners are now considering the planning application for Norwich Backpackers, the proposed use for the derelict Ferry Boat Inn on King St, Norwich. The public are welcome to have their say and the team behind the plans hope as many people as possible will have a look at the application and give the council feedback (Application No: 10/01471/F)

The Ferry Boat Inn closed 4 years ago after an interesting history as a pub. The infamous music venue had great cellars for real ale and a wide range of customers. However the lack of sound insulation in the music room was never likely to endear the pub to the growing number of local residents on either side of the river. Greene King looked at redeveloping the site as a restaurant pub and other people considered purchasing the site to build flats.

“The first time I saw the property, it didn’t grab me. The buildings were in a terrible state and I just didn’t see the potential.” said Jason Borthwick. “The site grew on me though, and I really began to see the opportunities. When I sat down with maps and could see the river connection, the proximity to the city, to travel links and the huge range of services on the doorstep, the site just cried out to become a Backpackers hostel.”

The plan is to create an eco-friendly 150-200 bed Backpackers hostel, with private ensuite rooms, family rooms and dorm rooms for international backpackers and independent travellers visiting Norwich. This will be housed in a new warehouse style building where the car park currently is. The old music room will become canoe hire, cycle hire and a cafe overlooking the river. The old pub building will become a real ale appreciation bar and shop.

Jason has worked with Tom Cringle of Millgate Design to develop the plans for the site. They’ve designed an eco-friendly building that is functional for backpackers and fits with the warehouse style that has traditionally dominated the river. The major change is that Norwich Backpackers is designed to face the river rather than the road.

The developers are Alister and Jason Borthwick, the father and son team behind the hugely successful Deepdale Backpackers & Camping in Burnham Deepdale on the north Norfolk coast. They had been looking for a property to buy in Norwich for a year or two.

“We felt it was important to consider diversifying away from the family farm and into Norwich. The two sites will compliment each other, we have a track record with sustainable sympathetic development and we hope our investment will act as a catalyst for the backpacker market in Norfolk and the East of England.” said Alister Borthwick.

“Finding the right property in Norwich was a slow process. We would never have guessed there was half a million square feet of empty office space in the city centre. So little of it is for sale, just for rent, and much of it has been empty for years earning no rent. It’s owned by pension funds and trust funds who see it as an asset, with no plans to release for sale. We looked at old pubs, workshops, shops and more. The Ferry Boat Inn was the first place that had space to work with and the river access was a huge selling point.”

Jason continues, “The grade 2 listed pub is a bonus to us. It seems to have put off potential developers as the site is far from simple to develop sympathetically. However it gives a wonderful sense of history. Having a licensed pub at a backpackers hostel will always go down well with the visitors.”

The Borthwick’s are really pleased with the interest in Norwich Backpackers. Jason personally delivered a letter to every house and business on King St, introducing themselves and their plans. Likewise to the flats and houses surrounding the site, the businesses on Riverside and many other organisations around the City. The website gets excellent readership, the Facebook page has over 200 fans and the Twitter account has 400 followers and the Google group almost 100 members. Jason continues to offer presentations on their ideas, having already presented to the Norwich Society and the Broads Tourism Forum amongst others.

“We are happy to hear from people, their thoughts about our ideas and hopefully for them to be involved with Norwich Backpackers in some way. There should be about 30 jobs created, 4 business tenants will be on the site and the hostel will work with a huge range of other businesses including travel companies, restaurants, activities, attractions.”

The planners have been generally positive towards the idea of a backpackers hostel in the city. The Borthwicks have discussed the idea with Norwich City Council over the past year or so as they considered other properties. They hope that their planning application for 191 King St is received well and that planning is a relatively painless step on the road to Norwich’s first Backpackers hostel.

Public comments about the plans for Norwich Backpackers can be made online at: planning.norwich.gov.uk Application No: 10/01471/F
More information about Norwich Backpackers can be found at: www.norwichbackpackers.co.uk