Jack Warren

Norwich’s Mitre Bowls Club hopes the Archdeacon of Norwich can persuade East Church to reverse its decision to evict the club from its historic clubhouse and green on Earlham Road. Vice-president Neville Warnes says the archdeacon is seeking the minutes of the meeting where the eviction was approved and may put pressure on the church, although he has no direct control over it. The club’s 70 members must find a new home by February, but argue that relocating would destroy a site with more than a century of history, including former members’ ashes. East Church, which acquired the Mitre through its subsidiary STN Trading Ltd in 2016, plans to convert the bowls green into flexible workspace and an outdoor area for the adjacent Mitre Café.

Students across Norwich celebrated their GCSE results, despite the overall GCSE pass rate falling for a fifth consecutive year across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Jake and Grace from Ormiston Victory Academy secured Sixth Form places in China after achieving top grades in Mandarin. City of Norwich School reported its highest recent number of grades 9 to 7, while Jane Austen College recorded strong science results. Norwich School for Girls credited its girls-first approach for its success, and schools including Sprowston Community Academy and Hellesdon High School highlighted impressive or improved outcomes.

Norwich City Council has approved plans to convert a house on Surrey Street into a children's care home for up to four children aged eight to 17. The home is intended to operate like a typical family household rather than an institution, with one-to-one daytime care and two staff members overnight. The plans cite Ofsted requirements and concerns about reducing stigma for children in care.

Norfolk anglers warn that the River Wensum and the region’s river-fishing heritage may be nearing a point of no return after thousands of fish died. Low oxygen levels, drought, reduced river flows, water abstraction, pollution washed in during heavy rain and high temperatures have combined to create severe conditions. Anglers John Bailey and Phil Spinks describe a dramatic decline in the river, particularly its upper stretches, while noting that some tidal areas still offer good fishing. Norwich City Council and Anglian Water have removed thousands of dead fish, and Anglian Water says its drainage systems operated as expected and water samples were satisfactory.

Norwich City Council conservation officers have warned that plans by the Norwich Muslim Centre to convert the Grade II-listed Gatehouse pub on Dereham Road into a mosque and community centre would cause an unacceptable degree of harm to the historic building. They consider the proposed extension monolithic, inappropriate and insufficiently justified, and question whether the building could be reused without major alterations. The centre says the site would serve the wider community through worship, festivals, youth services, school visits and interfaith work, with capacity for more than 200 worshippers. CAMRA and other opponents want the pub retained because of its heritage and community value, while supporters believe the proposed use would benefit local residents. Norwich City Council is still considering the application.

PJ’s Convenience Store and Post Office on Silver Road near Norwich city centre is on the market for £150,000 with a new 15-year lease. The current owners have run the business since 1994. The shop serves nearby residents, businesses and passing traffic, selling groceries, tobacco, newspapers, magazines, chilled and frozen food, snacks and soft drinks, alongside Post Office services. Christie and Co is marketing the sale.

Plans have been submitted to Broadland District Council to convert land west of Bergh Apton Road in Alpington into a dedicated dog exercise centre. The proposal includes agility equipment and five fenced sensory zones intended to provide dogs with stimulation and relaxation. The applicants say the low-impact scheme would not affect habitats and would generate minimal traffic. The council will now consider the application.

Plans submitted to Norwich City Council propose installing a new clock above the main entrance to Norwich Railway Station, modelled on the station’s existing timepiece. The project would involve removing an advertising banner, cleaning and repairing the brickwork, and matching existing mortar repairs. The station, opened in 1844 and dating largely from the 1880s, is also undergoing renovations to address damp and roof damage. The article provides historical context on Norwich’s former City and Victoria stations, both of which have since closed.

Coritiba players wore shirts bearing the name of Norwich man Jonny Butcher before their league match against Chapecoense to show solidarity after his Motor Neurone Disease diagnosis. Butcher, a lifelong Norwich City fan who began supporting Coritiba through his Brazilian wife Ana Clara and the clubs' partnership, had hoped to attend a match at Coritiba's Couto Pereira stadium as part of his bucket list. Although his condition prevented the trip, the team's tribute and plans to send him the signed shirts fulfilled and surpassed that wish.

Thousands of dead fish, including roach, perch, pike, chub and eels, have been removed from the River Wensum after mass deaths during hot, dry weather and low river levels. Norwich City Council collected 1,200 fish and Anglian Water removed 2,126, while the company said its drains had operated normally and tested water samples were satisfactory. Authorities believe a combination of low oxygen levels, high temperatures, low flows and contaminants washed into the river during heavy rain may have created lethal conditions. Further dead fish were found in the River Yare, while Norwich Green council leader Lucy Galvin warned that sewage, agricultural runoff and low flows have left the Wensum in crisis; Anglian Water data recorded 176 sewage pollution incidents there in 2025.

A boy was arrested after a report of a male carrying a knife on King Street in Norwich at around 3:05pm. Police attended, and the boy was arrested on suspicion of affray and possession of a knife. He was taken to Wymondham Police Investigation Centre and released on bail until October 27.

Family-run Greek food entrepreneurs Georgios Michailidis and Vicky Stogianni, together with their son Michael, plan to open Elixirion delicatessen in Norwich's Bridewell Alley in August. The small shop will offer premium Greek products from small suppliers, including yoghurt, coffee, honey, nuts, olive oil, wine, pies and coffee. Elixirion expands the family's local food ventures, which include Greek Actually on Unthank Road and the previously successful Great Gyros Canteen.

Golden Canary Tattoo on St Augustines Street in Norwich has submitted plans to Norwich City Council for new signage. The proposal includes a transparent acrylic board featuring the studio’s black logo and a perspex hanging sign beside the entrance. The council will now consider the designs.

A petition has been launched to save Mitre Bowls Club from eviction from its Earlham Road clubhouse in Norwich. East Church, which owns the site through its commercial subsidiary STN Trading Ltd, wants the club to relocate so the bowls green can be converted into flexible working and outdoor space for the Mitre cafe. The club’s 70 members say the site’s history, memories and scattered ashes make relocation unacceptable, while the church says cafe revenue will support community and social-action projects. More than 300 people had signed the petition, which is seeking 500 signatures, and members have until February to find a new venue.

Approval has been granted to convert a vacant warehouse in Lakenham into a Slazenger Padel Clubs facility featuring eight indoor padel courts, a sports shop, equipment hire and training programmes. The centre will operate daily from early morning to midnight and is expected to create more than 15 jobs. Padel’s growing popularity in Norfolk is noted, with the region now hosting more than 16 courts.

Residents of Paragon Place expressed relief after a suspect, Jahziah Harrison, was charged two years after the daylight stabbing of Oliver Payne in 2024. Harrison was arrested in France under an assumed identity and appeared in Norwich Magistrates Court facing multiple charges, including murder, manslaughter, drug offences and possession of bladed weapons. Community members questioned delays in the investigation and the removal of a CCTV camera before the killing. Harrison was remanded into custody, with further arrests made in London on suspicion of assisting an offender.

Norwich City Council is considering scrapping restrictions on pets in council flats, which would allow tenants to keep animals ranging from cats and dogs to cockroaches, rats, mice, hedgehogs and reptiles. The proposed policy emphasises responsible ownership covering noise, cleanliness, welfare and communal areas while continuing to ban farm animals, wild animals and dangerous dog breeds. Residents of Normandie Tower are divided, with some already keeping pets and others concerned about noise and mess. A public consultation runs from June 29 to August 9, and the article also notes the suitability and legality of keeping species such as Madagascar hissing cockroaches and African pygmy hedgehogs.