Great Yarmouth Borough Council leader Carl Smith said the authority had previously expressed an interest in buying the 20,740 sq ft (223,247 sq m) property which included a multi-storey car park, but said it was not now in a position to put a offer now.

He said: “We looked at it when we first got the Future High Street Fund in 2020, and it wasn’t a viable proposition.

“We instead bought Palmers, which we are now converting into The Place, a library and learning centre.

“We hope that with all the investment that has been made in the market, around £30m, people will see that Great Yarmouth is on the rise and that someone will come in and buy the shopping centre, which is a viable ongoing concern.”