Nottingham city councillors are being recommended to approve plans for 23 homes on the former Toll Bridge Inn site beside Victoria Embankment, despite objections over the development’s height, design, traffic impact and lack of affordable housing.
The application will be considered by Nottingham City Council’s Planning Committee on Wednesday 22 July. No final decision has yet been made.
The triangular site, between Bathley Street and Victoria Embankment in the Old Meadows Conservation Area, was formerly occupied by the Toll Bridge Inn. The pub was demolished in around 2011 and the land has remained vacant for approximately 15 years.
Full planning permission is being sought for 11 three-bedroom houses and 12 two-bedroom flats, together with associated infrastructure and a new vehicle entrance from Bathley Street.
The houses would be arranged as detached, semi-detached and terraced properties, with all of them reaching three storeys. The flats would be provided in a four-storey block on the north-western side of the site, with balconies facing towards Victoria Embankment and the River Trent.
Each property would have one allocated parking space. The homes would be constructed mainly in brick, with metal cladding proposed on parts of the upper floors. Council officers said all the properties would exceed nationally prescribed space standards.
The scheme has attracted significant public interest. The council received 21 representations during the initial consultation and a further 16 after residents were consulted on revisions to the layout and elevations.
Concerns include the density and scale of the development, its effect on the Old Meadows Conservation Area and the more open character of Victoria Embankment, potential overlooking and loss of light, pressure on parking and Bathley Street, and the safety of cyclists using the path crossed by the proposed entrance.
Residents also questioned why the development would not provide affordable housing or financial contributions towards public open space and local employment and training.
Some respondents supported the principle of redeveloping the site, saying its current condition detracts from the area and has been associated with fly-tipping and antisocial behaviour.
Nottingham Civic Society raised concerns about the original design, describing the proposed three and four-storey buildings as being at odds with the established character of Victoria Embankment. It said the development needed stronger landscaping and reconsideration of its scale and layout. No further comments were received from the society on the revised plans.
Council planning officers said the scheme had been amended following negotiations over its design, layout and appearance. Changes included additional windows, patterned brickwork, revised parking arrangements and more landscaped areas in front of properties.
The council’s conservation officer has raised no objection and concluded that redevelopment could enhance the conservation area by replacing a cleared and visually poor site. Officers said the proposed buildings would use features found elsewhere in the Meadows, including red brick, recessed entrances, balconies and brick detailing.
The nearest listed structures include the Wilford Bridge Toll House, about 250 metres to the west, and the Victoria Embankment war memorial and gardens, around 630 metres to the south-east. Officers consider that the effect on their settings would be negligible.
Concerns have also been raised about the elevated position of the site and the possibility of overlooking homes on Bathley Street. The report states that the closest window-to-window distance would be approximately 32 metres, with existing trees providing some screening.
Officers concluded that the separation distances would prevent significant overlooking, loss of light or an overbearing effect on existing residents. They also said future occupants would have an acceptable standard of accommodation, with private gardens or balconies and access to communal space and the nearby Embankment recreation ground.
The proposed vehicle entrance would cross an existing cycle route along the northern boundary of the site. Cycling campaigners have asked for give-way markings, signs and improvements to the path.
The council’s highways team has not objected, but detailed designs for the junction, road markings, visibility and cycling arrangements would have to be approved before construction began. A road safety audit and walking and cycling assessment would also be required.
Officers said access from Victoria Embankment would not be practical because it is not an adopted highway and is occasionally closed during sporting events. Bathley Street is therefore considered the only feasible access route.
A construction traffic management plan would be required to control vehicle routes, parking, deliveries and mud or debris on surrounding roads.
The Environment Agency, the council’s flood risk team, environmental health officers, biodiversity officers and tree officers have also raised no objection, subject to conditions.
Most of the elevated site is within Flood Zone 1, which has the lowest probability of river flooding, although small areas along its boundary fall within higher-risk zones. The developer says the scheme would reduce impermeable surfaces by about 50 per cent, with detailed drainage measures to be approved by the council.
No trees stand within the development site itself, but mature trees surround parts of its boundary. Conditions would require protection measures during construction.
The scheme would also have to deliver a minimum 10 per cent biodiversity net gain. The report states that 0.67 habitat units would need to be secured through off-site provision, alongside measures such as bird and bat boxes incorporated into the buildings.
Under the council’s planning policies, a development of this size would ordinarily be expected to provide £249,902 towards affordable housing, £66,807 for public open space and £18,346 for employment and training.
The combined Section 106 contribution would be £335,055. However, the developer submitted a financial viability assessment arguing that the scheme could not support those payments.
The assessment was independently reviewed for the council, and officers have accepted its conclusion that the contributions would make the development financially unviable. They are therefore recommending that the affordable housing, open-space and employment payments are waived.
A Section 106 agreement would still require construction-phase employment and skills targets. It would also include a financial review if substantial work had not been completed within two years of permission being granted.
If the scheme were found to have become more profitable at that stage, contributions towards affordable housing, open space and employment and training could be required up to the amounts normally expected under council policy.
The development would use a “fabric first” approach to energy efficiency and is expected to perform 33 per cent better than current Building Regulations. Solar panels are proposed, with renewable energy expected to meet around 28 per cent of the site’s anticipated energy demand.
The application was originally due to be determined by 3 February 2026, but the council agreed an extension with the applicant while negotiations and amendments continued.
Planning officers are recommending approval, subject to completion of the Section 106 agreement and a series of conditions covering matters including access, drainage, contamination, construction traffic, landscaping, trees, materials and biodiversity.
The committee may approve the application, refuse it or defer a decision for further information.
