Living & working in Norwich
Norwich is one of the most desirable places to live in the UK, offering affordable housing, great schools and spectacular scenery right on the doorstep. Here are just few pieces of information to convince you that a move to Norwich will benefit more than just your career.
Housing
Norwich has a mixture of period properties as well as high end modern developments. House prices in Norwich have remained affordable, although some parts of the city can be more expensive than others. In general, those moving to Norwich from other parts of the UK will find their money goes a little bit further.
If you are looking to rent then a one-bedroom property would cost on average £650 per calendar month and a two-bedroom £850 pcm. Of course house-sharing is an option and costs can be substantially cheaper if you are willing to share with colleagues or privately.
If you are thinking of buying a property, the average cost of a flat in Norwich is £149,000. A terraced house costs typically around £191,000 while a semi-detached property averages at £229,000. If you wanted to buy a detached property in Norwich, you'd need around £336,000 (all prices averaged November 2019 - October 2020).
Schools & Nurseries
There are a number of nurseries located close to the research park. One of these, Chestnut Nursery, is located on the Norwich Research Park and a proportion of places within this Nursery are reserved for use by the Norwich Bioscience Institutes, including The Sainsbury Laboratory.
Norwich has some of the best schools in East Anglia, if not the UK. It has a good mix of independent (fee-paying) schools , state-run schools and academies (run by not-for-profit trusts). Many in the Norwich area score well above average in national rankings.
Norwich is a small city and so most schools will be within easy reach of your home and work.
Transport
The city has excellent transport links and a direct train can get you to central London in just two hours. Other major UK cities such as Liverpool, Manchester, Nottingham and Sheffield are also easily accessible by rail. Local destinations such as Cambridge, Great Yarmouth, Sheringham and Lowestoft are also on direct train lines to the city.
A good choice of bus routes within Norwich link various parts of the city. These routes run regularly throughout the day and there are routes which serve the Norwich research Park from the City.
Norwich has invested significantly in its cycling infrastructure. Bike lanes are now found across Norwich and in the surrounding countryside. The Beryl Bike scheme also allow bikes and e-scooters to be hired from bays located in and around Norwich.
Shopping
The city is large enough that it attracts most of the major high street stores but also small enough that it maintains a boutique feel to the streets in The Lanes which feature many independent shops offering a fantastic range of clothes, jewellery and other items. There is a regular market, one of the oldest and largest in the country, located in the city centre. It has over 200 stalls, is open six days a week and was named the best large outdoor market in the country in 2019.
There are two modern shopping centres, Chapelfield and Castle Quarter, which offer a great choice of well-known brands as well as a number of food outlets and entertainment centres such as Vue Cinemas located in the Castle Quarter.
If online shopping is more your thing, then the Norwich Research Park has a convenient set of Amazon collection lockers.
Culture
Norwich is home to a large number of theatres, museums, galleries and concert venues. Cultural activities take place in and around Norwich every day. Norwich was the UK’s first ever UNESCO City of Literature in 2012 and the UEA names many notable UK authors among its alumni (Emma Healey, Ian McEwan, Kazuo Ishiguro to name just a few). Norwich has a thriving independent music scene and venues such as the Norwich Arts Centre, The Waterfront and the UEA LCR (Student's Union bar) have hosted many world-famous acts over the years.
On top of all that we have The Museum of Norwich, Norwich Castle Museum and Art Gallery, the Maddermarket Theatre, Strangers’ Hall, The Forum and the of course the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts which is located just a (pleasant) 5 minute walk away from the Sainsbury Laboratory.
Countryside
The Norfolk and Suffolk countryside is some of the most beautiful in the UK. There is a fantastic choice of beaches a short drive or train ride from the city and the spectacular Norfolk Broads are located just outside of Norwich. These locations are perfect for walking, cycling, bird watching or just sitting in the garden of a country pub.