For generations, Great Yarmouth has been one of the country’s most popular seaside destinations, rivalling the likes of Brighton and Margate with its classic coastal appeal.
But despite its reputation as a family-favourite, the Norfolk resort was ranked as the eighth worst seaside town in the UK by Which? in 2025.
In the study, thousands of people were surveyed about their experiences at 120 UK seaside towns, with a focus on the quality of the beaches, food and drink offerings, tourist attractions and value for money.
Great Yarmouth was given just one star for peace and quiet and three stars for beaches and tourist attractions, bringing its total percentage to just 51 per cent for its overall appeal.
But now, a major regeneration project is set to breathe new life into the beloved coastal town, with a number of projects set to begin in 2026.
While multiple landmarks across Great Yarmouth are earmarked for restoration, a separate project will focus on rejuvenating one section of the town.
The centre of the regeneration is the North Quay project, which proposes a new cinema, retail space and residential flats, as well as a 120-bedroom hotel in the North Quay area.
If given the green light, the development is expected to cost around £100million.
Great Yarmouth in Norfolk is gearing up for a major £100million revamp, which will see landmarks restored and a redevelopment that could dramatically reshape part of the town
The North Quay project proposes new retail space, a cinema, resident apartments and a 120-room hotel in the North Quay area
According to Great Yarmouth Borough Council leader, Carl Smith, the plans have been in the pipeline for a decade.
A public consultation is scheduled for this spring, giving locals the opportunity to share any concerns and comment on the proposals.
Elsewhere in the town, the historic Maritime House is due to reopen later this year as a café.
The landmark seafront building dates back to the 19th century and was originally used as a refuge for shipwrecked sailors.
Over time it has also operated as a Maritime Museum and the town’s tourism office, before its latest transformation into a café at ground level with apartments above.
The resort is also set to see the return of a long-lost favourite, the Iron Duke pub, which is expected to reopen in 2026 – 20 years after it shut.
Renovation work is already underway on the Iron Duke, once a key part of Great Yarmouth’s visitor scene, with costs expected to exceed £2million.
The venue is currently scheduled to welcome customers again in early summer, with hopes the wave of investment will mark a turning point for the seaside town.
Great Yarmouth Borough Council leader, Carl Smith, says the plans have been in the making for ten years
Pictured: The Victory Hotel. Great Yarmouth, like many other resorts in the UK, was once a seaside gem, but is now packed with boarded up hotels
The seaside resort’s Winter Gardens attraction was the last surviving Victorian glasshouse but has sat derelict for years. A restoration project is due to begin, and could be reopened by 2027
Like a lot of Britain’s faded seaside gems, Yarmouth has a big hotel problem.
Victorian guest houses and converted homes once packed to the rafters with excited visitors are now left empty, boarded-up and derelict after years of decline.
Neglected back streets are now becoming used by fly-tipping yobs to dump rubbish and old furniture.
Even the town’s Winter Gardens, a grand grade-II listed glass hall, is boarded-off while it awaits a much needed spruce-up thanks to £10million in lottery funding.
And residents told the Daily Mail they want funding spread evenly to tidy up the streets packed with eyesore buildings.
