Great Yarmouth, usually just Yarmouth, is a seaside town on the River Yare about 20 miles east of Norwich, and it gives its name to the wider Borough of Great Yarmouth. The town stands on a 3.1-mile spit between the North Sea and the river, with historic rows of narrow streets behind a seafront given over to tourism. Wikipedia records a built-up area population of 28,985 in 2021. Herring fishing, once its main trade, has all but ended; since the 1960s North Sea oil and gas, and more recently offshore wind and other renewables, have taken its place.
We are a broker. We arrange business mortgages for trading companies that want to buy or refinance their own premises in and around Yarmouth, and we never lend ourselves. It is commercial finance on a business building, not a residential mortgage, and we take each case to the lenders whose criteria fit.
Offshore energy premises: owner-occupier mortgages in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk
The oil rig industry that grew up here services offshore natural gas platforms, and the town has since added offshore wind power and other renewable energy work. That brings a steady need for quayside yards, warehouses for spares and equipment, fabrication workshops and offices for engineering and marine service companies.
For lenders, the question with energy-sector premises is how general the building is. A clean warehouse or workshop with yard space can be used by many kinds of business and values accordingly. A site built around one specialist operation, or one that depends on a quayside licence, may be lent against more cautiously. Our business mortgages page explains how the assessment works for a company buying the premises it occupies.
Arcades, guest houses and engineers in Great Yarmouth
ONS UK Business Counts 2026, local units.
Show as a table
| Sector | Businesses | Great Yarmouth share | UK share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construction and building trades | 450 | 13.2% | 12.6% |
| Retail | 420 | 12.3% | 9.4% |
| Professional, scientific and technical | 370 | 10.8% | 13.8% |
| Restaurants, cafes and pubs | 335 | 9.8% | 6.2% |
| Business support services | 260 | 7.6% | 8.1% |
| Health and social care | 195 | 5.7% | 5.6% |
| Transport, logistics and storage | 175 | 5.1% | 4.2% |
| Manufacturing and engineering | 170 | 5% | 4.3% |
| Arts, sport and leisure | 125 | 3.7% | 3% |
- 4.4xgambling40 businesses
- 3.0xhotels and accommodation85 businesses
- 2.1xfabricated metal products50 businesses
- 1.9xarchitecture and engineering175 businesses
A figure of 2.0x means the trade makes up twice the share of local businesses that it does across the UK.
Yarmouth's 3,430 business units reflect a seaside economy. Gambling and betting businesses run at 4.4 times the UK share and accommodation at 3 times, while restaurants, cafes and pubs make up 9.8% of firms against 6.2% nationally. Engineering and technical testing, serving the offshore industry, is at 1.93 times.
Guest houses, arcades and seafront cafes are seasonal trading businesses. Lenders look carefully at year-round income and will want several years of accounts before lending against them.
Seafront and holiday trade: trading-business property finance in Gt Yarmouth
Yarmouth has been a resort since 1760, and the railway of 1844 brought the crowds. Wellington Pier opened in 1854 and Britannia Pier in 1858, and through the 20th century the town added a promenade, the Pleasure Beach, the Sea Life Centre, the Hippodrome Circus, the Time and Tide Museum and a cast-iron and glass Winter Garden. Owner-occupiers on and behind the front include cafes, fish-and-chip shops, pubs, amusement businesses and guest accommodation.
Lenders treat most of these as trading businesses, with indicative rates of 7.0 to 9.0% a year, subject to status, accounts and valuation, and they look closely at seasonal trading figures. Where a shop or cafe has a flat above, the building is semi-commercial, typically up to 75% loan to value at an indicative 6.5 to 8.5%.
Great Yarmouth premises: modest values, growing units
Valuation Office Agency, non-domestic rating stock of properties, March 2026. Average rateable value is the VOA's estimate of annual rent, not a sale price.
- Industrial and warehouse1,250properties on the rating listUp 12.6% since 2016Average rateable value £19,000factories, workshops, warehouses and trade units
- Offices440properties on the rating listUp 7.3% since 2016Average rateable value £7,800offices, including converted buildings
- Shops and retail1,060properties on the rating listDown 1.9% since 2016Average rateable value £19,200shops, showrooms and retail warehouses
- Other commercial2,310properties on the rating listUp 7.4% since 2016Average rateable value £14,800pubs, hotels, surgeries, nurseries, garages and more
Yarmouth units at Gapton Hall, Harfreys and Bure Park
Named estates and parks listed on Google Maps near Great Yarmouth, October 2026. Listed to show where premises trade locally; we have no connection with the owners or agents.
- Great Yarmouth Business CentreGreat Yarmouth NR30 1RR
- Yarmouth Business ParkGreat Yarmouth NR31 0ER
- Pasteur Retail ParkGreat Yarmouth NR31 0DH
- Harfreys Industrial EstateGreat Yarmouth NR31 0LW
- Harfreys Road Industrial EstateGreat Yarmouth NR31 0LS
- Bure Park Business CentreCaister Rd, Great Yarmouth NR30 4DL
- JAMES COURT INDUSTRIAL ESTATEGreat Yarmouth NR31 0NF
- Gapton Hall Industrial EstateMorton Peto Rd, Great Yarmouth NR31 0LT
- Euro Industrial EstateGreat Yarmouth NR30 1TD
- Longs Industrial EstateEngland's Ln, Gorleston-on-Sea, Great Yarmouth NR31 6NE
Industrial units in the borough rose 12.6% to 1,250, while shops fell 1.9% to 1,060. Values are low, with offices averaging a rateable value of £7,800 and industrial units £19,000. The other category, which includes guest houses and leisure buildings, numbers 2,310. Lower values mean smaller loans, but valuers look carefully at seasonal property.
Costs, planning and security for a commercial property loan in the Borough of Great Yarmouth
Lenders active in owner-occupier lending generally advance 70 to 75% of the lower of price and valuation, at indicative rates of 6.0 to 7.5% a year over 5 to 25 years, with arrangement fees of 1 to 2%, subject to status, accounts and valuation. SDLT is collected by HMRC at 0% up to £150,000, 2% on £150,001 to £250,000 and 5% above £250,000, rates as at October 2026; check the current rates before you buy.
Illustrative example. An offshore supply company buys a freehold warehouse with a yard for £550,000. A 75% loan is £412,500, so the deposit is £137,500. SDLT on £550,000 is £17,000, taking the cash needed to about £154,500 before fees. Our guide to stamp duty on commercial property has the full workings.
The borough council handles planning, and the lender's solicitor will confirm the lawful use before funds are released. The lender takes a first legal charge registered at HM Land Registry. Because the town sits on a low spit between sea and river, the valuer and insurer will look at flood risk. Commercial lending to a limited company is unregulated and falls outside the FCA's regulated mortgage perimeter; where a deal would be regulated, for example lending to a sole trader or individual, or a property where the borrower or a close family member will live in part of it, we refer it to an appropriately authorised firm. More Norfolk towns are on our Norfolk premises finance page.
Yarmouth areas where businesses buy premises
Seafront
The main tourist sector runs along the front between the two piers, with arcades, attractions, cafes and takeaways. Buyers here are trading businesses whose income peaks in summer, so lenders want several seasons of accounts. Many buildings combine a ground-floor business with accommodation or storage above.
Gorleston
Across the Haven Bridge on the far side of the Yare, Gorleston is linked to the town and served by local buses. It has its own shopping streets and a mix of service and trade businesses, so typical purchases are high-street shops, surgeries, offices and smaller industrial units.
Southtown and Cobholm
These districts on the west bank of the Yare face the town across the river and connect to it by the Haven Bridge. Their riverside position makes them a natural location for marine, engineering and storage businesses looking for workshops and yards close to the water and the A47.
Caister-on-Sea
The ONS counts Caister-on-Sea as part of the Great Yarmouth urban area. North of the town on the coast road, it supports holiday parks, cafes, shops and local trades, so the premises we see there are usually small trading properties and shops with living space above.
Bradwell and Belton
Suburban areas to the south-west of the town, linked by local bus routes. Their businesses are mostly neighbourhood shops, takeaways, garages and trades, which tend to buy small freehold shops and light industrial units rather than larger sheds, and lenders assess them on the trading accounts of the business in occupation.
