Nottingham’s former central library building, in Angel Row, will be converted to 162 student rooms.
On the ground floor, there will be two retail units and a hot food takeaway.
Proposals were approved by Nottingham City Council’s planning committee on Wednesday (20 May), during which three councillors opposed the plans over concerns about increasing vacancy rates.
In March this year, a student accommodation report published by the council said the city was “experiencing a third consecutive year of softened demand”.
The 2025/26 occupancy survey shows there is an overall vacancy rate of 12.7 per cent.
This is up from 11.2 per cent in 2024/25, and significantly higher than pre-2023 levels, which were below one per cent.
Studios have the highest vacancy rate at 16.1 per cent, compared with 11.6 per cent in cluster flats, reflecting reduced demand from international postgraduates and students looking for cheaper shared flats.
Cllr Kevin Clarke, of the Nottingham Independents and Independent Group, cited rising vacancy rates and the University of Nottingham’s plans to cut around 700 jobs as reasons for his opposition to the scheme.
“I am generally pleased at the repurposing of the building, especially as they are looking at keeping the façade,” he said.
“However, I am certainly not convinced it is a much-needed addition to even more student accommodation, given student numbers are rapidly reducing. Overseas students are down by 30 per cent, vacancy rates are up to about 13 per cent now… so, for me, I don’t see it as an absolute necessity.”
Similarly, Cllr Shuguftah Quddoos, of the Green Party, echoed these concerns and voted against the plans alongside Cllr Anwar Khan, of the Nottingham People’s Alliance.
Planning officer Rob Percival said: “It is acknowledged, as we have done in other recent student schemes, that there has been a drop-off in demand for student accommodation.
“Some of the existing student schemes have seen a slight increase in vacancy rates. We are not at a point where we, as an authority, should be saying no to further student accommodation.
“It is just making sure that, when we do approve it, it is in the right location and, in this instance, there is a regeneration benefit. We have a notable building in the city centre which has been vacant now for many, many years.”
Supporting the scheme, Cllr Graham Chapman, of the city’s Labour group, added: “First of all, this scheme is a lot better than the one that came to us a few years ago, which I thought was far too intensive, with multi-storey student units. This is a conversion of an existing building, and I think we should welcome that.
“People need to understand that we’ve had a policy for about 15 years of trying to combat the use of private dwellings, ordinary family dwellings, for students.
“The fact that happened in some areas absolutely paralysed the housing market for families in some areas.
“Only when you reach a point of substantial surplus, which we are reaching now, do you ever get the opportunity to deflate that demand for those houses – provided we provide the right sort of student accommodation in the right place, and this is the right sort of student accommodation.”
The site is recognised as being of local heritage interest and is within the Old Market Square Conservation Area, and the conversion, rather than demolition, of the building has been welcomed by the Nottingham Civic Society.
The old building, which had been the city’s main library since 1977, was put up for sale by the authority after its closure, but plans to transform the old building have hit hurdles along the way.
