The well-known and long-established dealer Lings Motor Group (LMG), which has five showrooms across East Anglia, has submitted a planning application to Norwich City Council to open a new motorcycle showroom. The site on Hall Road to the south of the city will also sell e-bikes and bicycles.
The 482m2 site has been empty since its previous owner, design agency GGS, vacated the premises in October 2020.
LMG currently holds motorcycle franchises for GasGas, Husqvarna, Honda and Triumph across stores in Lowestoft, Watton, Great Dunmow, Ipswich and Harleston.Â
PFK Ling, latterly Lings Motor Group, began more than 150 years ago as a family blacksmith. Within a few decades, it had grown from a bicycle dealership in Bungay to motorcycle dealerships at Harleston and later Lowestoft, stocking typical British bikes from Norton to BSA. What would prove to be inspired, but was at the time risky, was the decision to partner with a little-known Japanese manufacturer in the early 1960s. At the time, Honda was struggling to establish a foothold Europe with its step-through lightweights far removed from the powerful, heavier machines typical of British manufacturers.
The then directors, David and Anne Jary, saw a gap in the market, and Lings went on to become one of the largest parts stockist for Honda in Europe. Today Lings is one of the UK’s largest motor groups with dealerships throughout East Anglia.