Special guests enjoy tour of Great Yarmouth's new £17m library and learning hub, The Place

Former Palmers managing director and chairman Bruce Sturrock and his wife Libby saw how the top-to-bottom refurbishment of the former Market Place store is continuing, with work on track for completion in late spring 2025.

Mr Sturrock, who led the business from the 1980s until its sale to Beales in 2018 before it finally closed its doors in 2020, was given the guided tour by Great Yarmouth Borough Council leader Carl Smith and the construction team. He said: ''I think it's absolutely brilliant. If it can't be a store I can't think of a better use for the building.''

The £17m project is being funded via £8.1m from the Government's Town Deal, with a further £3.4m from the Future High Streets Fund. East Coast College and the University of Suffolk are contributing £3.7m and Norfolk County Council £2.3m.

Mr Sturrock told the BBC: "It's going to be a community hub. I like to think Palmers Department Store was the centre of Great Yarmouth and this is going to bring the heart back to the town centre, I hope."

Mrs Sturrock, a former midwife and partner in Palmers, added that she was pleased The Place would train healthcare professionals, including midwives.

The 5,300 sqm, five-storey building in the Market Place first opened as a drapers in 1837 and will now be home to the town's public library - replacing its current location in Tolhouse Road - along with adult learning, a registry office and other community services such as Citizens Advice.

East Coast College and the University of Suffolk will offer degree and diploma courses at The Place, as well as access to higher education and adult learning courses.

Councillor Smith said: ''It was lovely to be able to show Bruce and Libby the transformation happening at the Palmers store. The family's connection with the building and Great Yarmouth is so special and for them to be so supportive and enthusiastic about what the future holds here is fantastic.

''The Place, and what it will deliver in this well-loved and iconic building, is a key component of our regeneration plans for the town, I'd like to thank the Morgan Sindall Construction team and our partners for the progress we've made so far.

''The doors to this amazing new facility will be open next year to welcome people on to a wide range of superb courses and our residents will also be able to enjoy a state-of-the-art new library and other facilities.''

All the structural work has now been completed as part of the complex refurbishment, which is being led by Morgan Sindall Construction, and most of the new roof has now been installed.

The old shop frontage has been removed ready for the new shop front installation and brickwork at the front of the building has been repaired with new timber windows installed. The scaffolding at the front and on one side of the building has also been removed. External walls at the back of the building are currently being repaired, ready for the walls to be rendered.

To retain the conservation area appearance of the building and improve insulation at The Place, all the original Crittall-style heritage windows have been replaced with double-glazed windows in the same style. Inside, historic stained glass windows are being re-instated and an impressive large lantern light has been restored to increase natural light.  

New partition walls, doors and glazing are almost complete and work is underway on electrical installation and cabling. Air conditioning, ventilation and plumbing is being installed throughout the building. 

Over the next month, a new staircase is being built at the front of the building, providing the main access to the upper floors for the university centre. 

As part of its commitment to sustainability, Morgan Sindall says 45 tonnes of Co2 have been saved during the work by rationalising the amount of steelwork used by keeping the existing structure of the building and by reducing the amount of glazed screens being used.

As agreed under the procurement process, Morgan Sindall has also committed to reinvesting at least 30 per cent of the contract value in monetised social value within the local area. This will be achieved, in part, by making sure the majority of labour used at The Place is from within 20 miles, and that the project spend is with local small to medium-sized businesses. The company is also working with a number of students from local colleges.