The café and visitor centre between Horsford and Felthorpe is due to finish at the end of September. The council now forecasts £1.386m against a £1.179m budget.
The new café and visitor centre at Broadland Country Park is forecast to cost £207,000 more than its budget this year. The building, between Horsford and Felthorpe, is due to be finished at the end of September.
The figures are in Broadland District Council’s finance report for the first quarter of 2026/27. Cabinet will be asked to endorse it at 6pm on Tuesday 15 September.
The numbers
The report sets out the council’s capital spending on the scheme in 2026/27:
- £1.179m is the latest budget for the year: £560,000 set in the original budget, plus £619,000 carried forward from earlier years.
- £1.386m is what the council now expects to spend.
- £207,000 is the difference, shown as an adverse variance.
- £191,000 had been spent by 30 June.
The comment against the line is short. It says the building is “in construction and due to be completed end of September, funding reliant on completion in September”.
The report does not say which funding depends on that date. It also does not say how the extra £207,000 will be met.
When work started, the council said half the cost would come from the Greater Norwich Growth Board. Business rates money and developer contributions under section 106 were to cover a quarter each (Broadland District Council, 27 October 2025).
Already later than first promised
The date has already moved once. Norfolk Wildlife Trust said in March that the new facilities would open in summer 2026 (Norfolk Wildlife Trust, 23 March 2026). Its page for the park still says they are “due for completion in summer 2026”.
The quarterly performance report in the same Cabinet papers also still says summer. The finance report, written for the same meeting, gives the end of September (Broadland Cabinet papers, 15 September 2026).
What is being built
According to Norfolk Wildlife Trust, the new building will bring:
- a café, with picnic benches
- toilets
- more parking
- a dog washing station
- charging points for electric cars and bikes
The council has said it wants the café and visitor centre to produce net zero carbon emissions in operation. The design uses heat pumps, solar panels and sustainable materials.
Once it is finished, the building passes to Norfolk Wildlife Trust to manage. The trust took over the running of the park in March on an 80-year lease at a peppercorn rent. The council stays the freeholder.
A park that is nearly doubling in size
Broadland Country Park covers 140 acres of heath, woodland and marshy grassland. Norfolk Wildlife Trust says an extension at Drayton Drewray adds another 114 acres, taking the total to about 254 acres.
The main entrance and car parks are off Haveringland Road, the B1149, at NR10 4DF. The park is open from dawn until dusk every day (Norfolk Wildlife Trust: Broadland Country Park).
What it means for you
Nothing changes for visitors yet. Entry is free, parking is free, and you do not need to be a Norfolk Wildlife Trust member. Dogs, horses and cyclists are all welcome.
Until the new building opens, the trust says portable toilets are available in the car park. The picnic area and play area are open as normal.
The £207,000 is council capital money, so it is not a charge on visitors. It does matter to council taxpayers. The same report forecasts that the council will spend £376,000 less than budgeted on its core day-to-day services this year. That underspend is separate from the capital budget, and the report does not link the two.
If you want to follow the decision, the Cabinet meeting on 15 September is public. Papers are on the council’s meetings site. For other days out in the district, see our guide to things to do in Broadland.
Sources
- Broadland District Council, Finance Report for Quarter 1 2026/27, Cabinet 15 September 2026, for the budget, forecast, spend to date, completion date and the £376,000 revenue underspend.
- Broadland Cabinet, 15 September 2026, agenda and reports, including the Quarter 1 performance report’s “summer 2026” completion date.
- Norfolk Wildlife Trust: We’re taking on the management of Broadland Country Park, 23 March 2026, for the facilities, the lease, the extension and access.
- Norfolk Wildlife Trust: Broadland Country Park for the entrance, postcode, opening times and current facilities.
- Broadland District Council: Work starts on new visitor centre for Broadland Country Park, 27 October 2025, for the funding split and the net zero design.
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