Plans to turn Nottingham’s former Central Library into student accommodation are set to be considered by councillors next week, with officers recommending the scheme is approved.
The proposal, for the former library building on Angel Row, would see the vacant city centre site converted into managed student halls of residence with 162 bedrooms, shared facilities, two retail units and a hot food takeaway.
Nottingham City Council’s Planning Committee will consider the application on 20 May 2026. Planning officers have recommended that permission is granted, subject to conditions and the completion of legal agreements.
The building, which remains in City Council ownership, was used as Nottingham’s Central Library from around 1977 until 2020. The city’s main library later moved to Broad Marsh, leaving the Angel Row building empty for several years.
The site sits within the Old Market Square Conservation Area and is recognised as being of local heritage interest. It fronts Angel Row, wraps around towards Mount Street and has a rear elevation facing Maid Marian Way. Council officers say the Angel Row frontage has an attractive brick façade above a modern ground-floor shopfront, while the rear of the building is more functional in appearance.
The application has been submitted by Mr Will Aust on behalf of Mr Simon Chamberlain. It seeks permission to change the building from a library into Purpose Built Student Accommodation, commonly known as PBSA, with 128 bedrooms in cluster flats and 34 studio rooms. That would mean 79 per cent of the bedspaces are in shared cluster flats and 21 per cent are studios.
Communal facilities would be provided on the ground floor, including a cinema or presentation room, meeting rooms, a common room and a small courtyard area. The basement would be used for storage for the commercial units, plant space, student communal space, a gym area, bin storage and cycle storage. Land to the rear of the building would also be enclosed and landscaped.
The ground floor facing the street would include two Class E retail units and one hot food takeaway. Officers say this would help retain activity at street level and support natural surveillance in the city centre.
The application is being reported to Planning Committee because it is a major application involving Section 106 viability considerations, with some planning obligations proposed to be waived on viability grounds.
A policy-compliant planning obligation would normally be expected to secure £584,127 in contributions, made up of £352,036 for affordable housing, £212,920 for public open space and £19,191 for local employment and training.
However, the applicant has submitted a viability appraisal which has been independently reviewed by an assessor appointed by the council. The assessor concluded the scheme is not viable to pay any Section 106 contribution. Officers say this means there would be no financial contributions from the development at this stage.
A legal agreement would still secure a viability review mechanism. This means that if substantial commencement works have not been completed within two years of planning permission being issued, a further viability appraisal would be carried out. If the scheme is found to be more profitable at that point, funds could then be directed towards public open space, public realm or local employment and training, up to policy-compliant levels.
The agreement would also secure a student management plan. This would include contact details for those responsible for managing future residents’ behaviour, arrangements to prevent students from keeping private vehicles in the city while living at the accommodation, and waste and litter management measures.
Although there would be no local employment and training contribution initially, the developer and contractors would still be required to use reasonable endeavours to recruit trainees and local residents through Nottingham Jobs, in line with targets set by the council’s Employment and Training team.
Planning officers say the principle of student accommodation in this location is acceptable. The report notes the building is in a highly sustainable city centre location, close to Nottingham Trent University’s city campus and public transport links to University of Nottingham campuses. It also notes existing student accommodation nearby, including the Kaplan student development to the south east and Newland House on the opposite side of Maid Marian Way.
The council’s planning policy approach supports purpose-built student accommodation in appropriate locations where it can help reduce demand for traditional houses in multiple occupation. The report says this approach has contributed to a reported 10 per cent reduction in the overall number of student council tax exemptions over the last four years.
However, the report also highlights changes in Nottingham’s student accommodation market. Vacancy rates in PBSA were historically low, at around one per cent in 2021/22 and 2022/23, but rose to 3.5 per cent in 2023/24 and 12.7 per cent in 2025/26. Vacancy rates were 16.1 per cent for studios and 11.6 per cent for cluster accommodation.
Officers say this underlines the need to ensure new supply is of the right quality and in appropriate locations. They also note Nottingham has a relatively high proportion of studio student accommodation, with studios making up 22 per cent of PBSA bedspaces compared with a national average of 12 per cent.
The scheme originally proposed a higher number of studio rooms, but the mix was amended after discussions with officers. The University of Nottingham has raised no objection to the revised mix, which is largely in line with guidance favouring more cluster accommodation and fewer studios.
The council’s conservation officer has also raised no objection, subject to conditions. The officer says bringing the locally listed building back into active and viable use is strongly supported and would provide a sustainable way of securing the long-term conservation of the heritage asset.
The proposed restoration and refurbishment of the Angel Row elevation, including retention and upgrading of original timber sash windows, is welcomed in the report. Conditions are recommended requiring detailed shopfront drawings and window replacement details to be approved before work is carried out.
The conservation officer has raised concern about the scale and visual prominence of proposed signage on the Mount Street elevation, recommending it be reduced to avoid harm to the building’s architectural hierarchy and the conservation area. Officers note signage would be dealt with through a separate advertisement consent application.
The council’s Carbon Neutral Team supports the reuse of the building. Officers say the conversion of the existing structure is a significant sustainability benefit, while the works would also improve thermal efficiency. Air source heat pumps are indicated, along with measures to reduce water consumption.
Because the proposal is for a change of use, it is not required to provide Biodiversity Net Gain. However, landscaping to the rear of the site is proposed, and conditions would require swift and bat boxes to be installed on the building.
Highways officers have raised no objection. City Archaeology has no objection to the change of use, although any development to the rear of the site would require pre-application discussion. Nottingham Civic Society supports the conversion and retention of the locally listed building.
No third-party letters of representation were received after nine neighbouring properties were consulted and press and site notices were displayed.
Planning permission, if granted, would be subject to a series of conditions covering the Angel Row frontage, window details, landscaping, noise, odour, ventilation, biodiversity measures and water efficiency. The building would also need to be designed so internal noise levels in bedrooms and living areas are acceptable for future residents, taking account of its city centre location and nearby commercial uses.
The committee is being asked to grant planning permission, subject to the prior completion of a Section 111 agreement to secure the later Section 106 planning obligation. Final details of conditions and the legal obligation would be delegated to the council’s Director of Planning and Transport.
