A new Nottingham tower block of up to 18 storeys is tipped for approval after the developer made changes.
MRP Nottingham Ltd had been planning to build a 22-storey block at the junction of Queen’s Road and London Road, where a number of commercial units have been demolished.
It was to go hand in hand with a 12-storey block, purpose-built for 406 students, before Nottingham councillors deferred the plans at a planning committee meeting in October 2022 due to design concerns.
After making amendments, the developer resubmitted its plans for the student block on its own, and permission for the purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) block was granted in December 2023.
This scheme, called ‘The Place’, is now complete and in use.
Revised plans for the second phase of the site were submitted in April last year, and have now been recommended for approval at a Nottingham City Council Planning Committee meeting on Wednesday (21 May).
Part of the residential block will be 18 storeys in height, and the building will feature over 270 units.
“This planning application relates to the Phase 2 redevelopment of the remaining part of the site,” planning documents say.
“The scheme comprises a single ‘L’-shaped building which has been designed to wrap around the frontage of this corner site which faces Queen’s Road, and London Road to the east.
“The scale of the building is broken into two distinct elements: the first element being a part nine- and part 18-storey tower located at the prominent corner of London Road and Queen’s Road, whilst the second element is a rectilinear wing fronting Queen’s Road that is eight storeys in height.
“This second element sits to the front of the existing Phase 1 PBSA building, with a central courtyard to be created between the two.
“Phase 2 is to be a residential building comprising a range of units, including co-living rental accommodation. A total of 274 units, 424 rentable rooms, is proposed.
“The ground floor of the building would accommodate communal facilities for all residents including co-working space, a café, two meeting rooms served by a separate café and co-working entrance, and general amenity space, together with a bin store, cycle store and plant rooms.
“Additional amenity space is provided on each of the upper residential floors, along with a rooftop terrace on the eight-storey wing of the building, and a sky lounge on the top floor of the tower.”
Two letters of objection have been received alongside one letter of support, council documents say.
One letter says there is “real concern” that introducing more permanent residents into the area without improving the paths and putting up speed cameras is “a recipe for disaster”.
Concerns have also been raised over the loss of privacy and light to the apartments in the Hicking Building, a former lace factory opposite the site.
Nottingham Civic Society says it continues to object to the scheme, which sits within the Nottingham Station Conservation Area, because it fails to preserve or enhance the area’s character and damages the setting of the Grade II-listed railway station.
Meanwhile, the council’s own conservation officer says the development is “seen as an opportunity to significantly improve the urban design of this area, which has already begun with the neighbouring approved scheme immediately to the north”.
The developer would typically be asked to provide a financial contribution – totalling over £4 million – to reduce the impact of the scheme under what’s known as a Section 106 agreement.
However, an independent assessment says the scheme would not be financially viable if the developer were to provide the sum.
