Norfolk County Council has spent nearly £160,000 of taxpayer money converting a farm into a children's home which never housed a single child.
The authority purchased Pump Farm in Weston Longville, along with 13 acres of land for £1.2 million in 2020, initially acquiring it as part of preparations for the proposed Norwich Western Link road project.
After spending an additional £157,000 on refurbishments to transform the buildings into temporary accommodation for vulnerable children in council care, officials have now abandoned these plans entirely.
The property, which includes a five-bedroom house and a two-bedroom annexe, currently stands empty despite the significant public investment.
Norfolk County Council has spent nearly £160,000 of taxpayer money converting a farm into a children's home which never housed a single child
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The council had originally acquired the property because it would have been affected by the new 3.9-mile road connecting the Northern Distributor Road to the A47 west of Norwich.
In September last year, the council granted itself permission to convert the buildings into a temporary children's home.
The decision was met with objections from locals but went ahead.
The plan was to house youngsters whilst renovation work was carried out on 22 existing children's homes as part of an £83million energy efficiency programme affecting nearly 200 council buildings.
Now-scrapped plans for the Norwich Western Link
Norfolk County Council
Children and young people from each care home were meant to stay at Pump Farm for between three and 12 weeks while their usual accommodation underwent improvements over a five-year period.
However, a Freedom of Information request has revealed the property was never used for this purpose despite the substantial refurbishment costs.
A council spokeswoman confirmed there had been a "change of plan" regarding how the care homes renovation work would be handled.
The spending has drawn criticism at a time when the council has been implementing millions of pounds in cuts, including closing recycling centres on Wednesdays to save £200,000.
In September last year, the council granted itself permission to convert the buildings into a temporary children's home
The member of the public who submitted the Freedom of Information request said: "It seems the council has spent well over a million pounds buying this house for the (non-happening at the moment) Western Link, investing more than £150k to use it for children, then changing its mind.
"This is taxpayers' money amid a financial crisis."
The council maintains that the refurbishment money was not wasted, stating the building will provide temporary emergency accommodation for other young people.
The property's long-term future remains uncertain following the council's withdrawal of the Norwich Western Link plans due to environmental objections from Natural England.
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