King's Lynn night shelter applies to extend its accommodation for the homeless

Lynn night shelter has applied for planning permission to build an extension to enable it to provide safe, warm overnight accommodation for more homeless people.

If West Norfolk planners give it the go-ahead, it will add more bedrooms to the shelter and
increase the number of people it can help at any one time from eight to 12.

The shelter moved from St Ann’s Fort, North Street, to the former vicarage St John’s House, in Blackfriars Road, in 2020.

At that time it was envisaged it would provide emergency accommodation for between 22 and 32 people who would share bedrooms.

The pandemic changed that and now room sharing is not allowed and each guest has to have an individual bedroom.

As a result, the shelter can currently only cater for eight people.

The two-storey side extension requested in the planning application would increase the number of bedrooms and create space for 12 people.

In a statement to the planners, the applicant explains that in the period from October 2021 to June 2022, the shelter welcomed 39 people to stay and helped a further 197 people who were either sleeping rough, in emergency accommodation, or sofa surfing.

It describes itself as “a first stop, safe, warm and welcoming place for those in need who would otherwise have to sleep and survive on the cold and wet, dangerous streets”.

It also works alongside other agencies including the Purfleet Trust, the food bank and the borough council to provide support and help.