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City square revamp delay due to 'substandard work'

Emma Craig/BBC Yellow signs behind a metal fence on a building site. One says "We do not tolerate workforce abuse on this site" and the other days "Programme duration extended due to additional works to complete". Two workers in white hard hats and orange hi-vis overalls can be seen behind the signs. Emma Craig/BBC
Work on Hay Hill should have been finished in February

A council leader has blamed “substandard work” for delays to the £3.2m revamp of a city square.

Work to Hay Hill in Norwich was due to be completed in February, but its reopening has been repeatedly pushed back and metal fences still surround the site.

Norwich City Council and contractors Tarmac have been at loggerheads over some of the work, but details of the dispute have not been previously disclosed.

Labour council leader Mike Stonard said there had been issues delaying the project, and Tarmac confirmed the area would reopen "within the next couple of weeks", according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).

Local Democracy Reporting Service The new paving, steps and planted areas of Hay Hill, bordered by McDonald's and NextLocal Democracy Reporting Service
The revamp of Hay Hill in Norwich has taken longer than anticipated

The council is paying for the revamp of the city centre space, next to St Peter Mancroft Church, which started in April 2023.

Responding to calls for transparency over the project, Stonard said: "There have been a whole range of issues that mean we have had to endure delays, but we have also had to pick up substandard work by the contractors.

"This is the subject of ongoing discussions."

The project includes improved seating, better-designed steps and a fountain. 

Stonard said the council had to ask Tarmac to fix this when it began leaking shortly after construction.

Local Democracy Reporting Service A statue and stone and black metal steps in Hay Hill in front of NextLocal Democracy Reporting Service
Norwich City Council leader Mike Stonard said: "The space has been transformed and the outcomes of this project justify the delivery costs"

He claimed the project had also been affected by supply chain issues, such as delays with the shipping of specialist stonework from Portugal.

"Norwich City Council are working with the contractor to resolve issues and finalise some outstanding works prior to completing handover, but it is evident from the site that these works are nearing completion," he added.

"The space has been transformed and the outcomes of this project justify the delivery costs."

It was revealed earlier this month that City Hall was in a contractual wrangle with Tarmac, but all parties were reluctant to answer questions about the increasingly acrimonious dispute.

Norfolk County Council is also involved in attempts to resolve the situation.

Tarmac has been approached for comment.

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