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A guide to serviced offices, fitted and managed offices and office space to rent in Norwich, as well as general information that may be useful if you are thinking of renting office space in Norwich.
History & Geography
Norwich is located in the far east of England, in the county of Norfolk, in the area known as East Anglia. The city is bisected by the River Wensum, which then meets the River Yare, flowing up from the south of the city. Norwich started life as a small Anglo-Saxon settlement in the fifth century, which gradually grew to become the foremost trading centre in the area. By the 11th century, Norwich had expanded significantly and was a busy hub of commerce, mainly due to its advantageous position on the River Yare, which is navigable to the North Sea. However, in 1004, it was raided by the Viking commander Sven Forkbeard and burnt to the ground. Nevertheless, the city was rebuilt and continued to prosper. By the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066, Norwich was one of the largest and richest cities in the country. The Normans added to the city’s strategic importance by constructing a castle in the city, the only one of its kind in East Anglia. The city continued to prosper during the Middle Ages, especially from the wool trade. This trade funded the construction of dozens of churches, and currently, Norwich has more medieval churches than any other city in Western Europe. During the 16th century, the city’s population was bolstered by the arrival of many Dutch and Flemish immigrants fleeing Catholic persecution. Eventually, these refugees made up one-third of Norwich’s population. The city integrated the immigrants, and their trading connections with Europe added to the city’s prosperity. The Flemish refugees also brought with them to the city their pet canaries, which they bred locally and which eventually became, and remain, the city’s mascot. The city continued to prosper throughout the 17th and 18th centuries on the back of its wool and textile trade and developed a thriving cultural scene. Norwich declined somewhat during the 19th-century Industrial Revolution, losing out to England’s northern industrial hubs. However, it retained its reputation for textile manufacturing and its shoe-making industry. In the 20th century, the city also acquired a reputation for chocolate manufacturing and aircraft design. Norwich sustained severe bomb damage during WWII but was extensively rebuilt in the following years. Today, it is one of the most important cities in eastern England and a hub of education, trade and service-based industries.
Economy
Like many cities in England, Norwich’s economy has shifted from manufacturing to a mainly service-based one. The insurance and financial services company Aviva, formerly known as Norwich Union, is the best example of a dominant company in the Norwich economy.
Publishing was a major industry in the city, with Archant the largest in the field. Archant published four daily newspapers and 75 weekly ones, as well as a host of magazines at its peak.
Following the pandemic’s disastrous impact on industry-wide advertising revenues, Archant announced in July 2020 that it had put itself up for sale, and in August, it was reported that the operational units of Archant had been sold to private equity firm Rcapital Partners
In March 2022, it was reported that Rcapital sold the group to American media giant Gannett.
Carrow in Norwich was famously the home of mustard and condiment maker Colman’s for 160 years.
In January 2018, it was announced that Colman’s would leave its base in Norwich and move its production to Burton upon Trent in Staffordshire and to Germany.
In 2019, the Colman’s factory in Norwich rolled its last jar of mustard off the production line, and its ‘best before’ date was changed for the occasion to: ‘Norwich’s Last. By Its Finest. July 24th 2019’.
Colman’s continued making other condiments at the Carrow site until it closed its doors during the pandemic in early 2020.
Norwich also has a thriving retail industry and is among the UK’s top 10 most prosperous shopping destinations. Norwich is also a popular destination for students with the University of East Anglia, based on the city’s outskirts, one of the foremost universities in the country.
Culture & Tourism
While Norwich is not one of the UK’s foremost tourist destinations, it has become a popular place to take a city break. Among its attractions is Norwich Cathedral, dating from the 12th century and one of the finest examples of Norman architecture in the country. Norwich is also known for the cobbled streets and museums of its old quarter, as well as Norwich Castle, which has been transformed into a museum and art gallery. Norwich is also well known for the Norfolk and Norwich Festival, an arts festival held every May, which is among the largest and most well-respected in the UK.
Additionally, Norwich has a thriving theatre culture with many venues, including the Theatre Royal, Norwich Playhouse, Maddermarket Theatre and Norwich Puppet Theatre. The city is also well known for its thriving nightlife, mainly around Tombland, Prince of Wales Road, and the Riverside area near Norwich station. The city’s large student population makes its nightlife and music scene more vibrant than most.
Transportation
Norwich railway station, located in the east of the city, has services to London Liverpool Street every half-hour as well as Liverpool, Nottingham, Manchester and Cambridge. The city itself is served by an extensive bus system popular among residents. The city’s airport, Norwich International Airport, is a feeder to KLM’s Schiphol and is served by Eastern Airways and Bristow Helicopters.
Office space to rent in Norwich
In 2013, following the Great Recession, the Norwich office market had a supply of almost 8 million square feet and a vacancy rate of approximately 10 per cent.
However, forecasts at the time predicted the vacancy rate would drop in the coming year. Rents were stable at an approximate average of £16.50 per square foot per year. The main out-of-town office location was the Broadland Business Park, an ever-expanding high-tech office and industrial park. Like virtually all sizable cities in the UK, Norwich suffered considerably in the aftermath of the financial crisis; however, by 2013, there were signs that the local economy was beginning a slow recovery, along with the rest of the country.
Norwich’s office space market saw the highest rate of take-up in 5 years, in 2021, at just under 250,000 square feet. The number of Grade A requirements remained strong in 2022 from occupiers in the technology R&D industry and the life, food and agriculture science sectors.
It was expected that those requirements would absorb the majority of Grade A office space within the year, putting upward pressure on rental levels.
High-quality office space was being quoted at £17.50 per square foot in 2023, and it was expected that strong demand would push rents closer to £20 per square foot in the following years.
In 2026, Bidwells reported that the Norwich office market continued to see steady demand, with requirements rising to their highest level in three years at the end of 2025.
As with most other office markets across the UK, Norwich faced a shortage of Grade A space due to the pressures developers faced.
It was reported that demand remained resilient despite limited supply in 2025, with take-up through office lettings reaching 131,700 square feet, slightly below the 10-year average.
Availability was just 27,600 square feet in Q4 2025, the lowest level in over a decade, with half already under offer by occupiers seeking best-in-class space that is ESG-considered, as seen across many other markets.
Requirements in Q4 rose to 167,600 square feet, their highest level in three years, driven by larger requirements of over 10,000 square feet.
Prime office rents in Norwich were at £20.00 per square foot per annum at the end of 2025 and were forecast to rise to £27.50 per square foot by 2030 due to competition for limited high-quality new space.
Bidwells forecast, however, that new schemes would need to achieve rents of around £35 per square foot to be viable, due to increased build costs resulting from various global events, including the ongoing Russian war, tariff uncertainty, and the Iran invasion.
There are a number of office providers and flexible workspace operators in Norwich, including Cygnet, Exeid, HQ, Regus, and Spaces, that offer agile alternatives to traditionally leased offices, such as private serviced office suites, fitted, furnished and managed offices and coworking options.
These are available on short-term agreements, often with the option to up- or downsize floorspace mid-term, and with all-inclusive, fixed-overhead pricing, with items such as cleaning and utilities covered by the rent.
These agile business space solutions are available in locations across Norwich, including Colegate, Crown Road, Magdalen Street, Palace Street, Prince of Wales Road, School Lane, St Crispins Road, Thorpe Road, and Whiffler Road.
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