See inside former pub as luxury flats nearly finished

Inside the luxury apartments being converted in the former Magpie pub. (Image: OpenRent)

The Magpie pub, Magpie Road, was shrouded in scaffolding for more than a year as work took place to convert it into four luxury flats.

Inside the luxury rentals at the former Magpie pub. (Image: OpenRent)

But now the one bedroom apartments, available for rent only at £950 a month, are almost finished. Rents are from July 1 for the homes which offer open-plan living rooms with vaulted ceilings, original beams and some features such as brick fireplaces.

They also come with newly fitted kitchens with appliances, a bedroom with double glazed sash windows with wooden shutters and a large bathroom.

Outside, there is a gated paved courtyard garden only for people living in the apartments as well as storage for bikes.

The apartments are available for professionals only, though, said agent OpenRent, with no students or pets allowed. People can move in from July 1.

The Magpie was once one of Norwich's most popular drinking spots but was sold by Norwich City Council in 2010.

t came up for sale originally for £500,000 in 2017 only to come back on the market a year later at the reduced price of £360,000 and then suffered a fire in 2018.

Inside the luxury rentals in the former Magpie pub. (Image: OpenRent)

The project suffered setbacks to do with converting former stables at the rear into two extra residential units.

Shrouded in scaffolding: Work going on at the Magpie pub is nearly finished. (Image: Archant)

Eventually, planning permission was refused for the two, two-storey homes in January 2020.

Mark Brown, Norwich City Council's area development planning manager, said at the time: "The proposal would result in a very poor standard of residential amenity due to the close proximity of directly facing windows and the position of balconies, resulting in insufficient privacy for occupiers of the proposed development.

"The proposal would cause harm to the character of the conservation area and locally listed buildings including the former pub and adjacent terraces."

An old photo of the Magpie pub, which dates back as far as the 18th century. (Image: Archant)

Originally, planning permission for the conversion was applied for by Flagship Housing but the work is now being done by Essex-based property firm Black Dog Properties.