Nottingham City Council has approved plans for a major new student accommodation block at the Island Quarter, paving the way for around 400 new bed spaces as the vast regeneration site continues its long and complicated redevelopment.
The decision, issued on 1 December 2025, grants full planning permission for Phase 2B of the scheme, allowing Conygar Nottingham Ltd to construct and operate a purpose-built student accommodation building with associated landscaping, utilities and drainage infrastructure.
The approval is subject to a long list of conditions covering biodiversity, noise mitigation, construction traffic, archaeology, landscaping, and ground safety, reflecting the sensitivity of the site and its proximity to established residential areas and major traffic routes.
The Island Quarter, historically known as the Boots Island site, has been one of Nottingham’s most significant brownfield redevelopment projects for more than 25 years. The land, positioned between Manvers Street, London Road and the canal, once hosted a wide range of industrial and warehousing uses connected to the city’s former rail and manufacturing economy.
Much of it became vacant in the late twentieth century after successive closures, and ambitious redevelopment plans repeatedly stalled, particularly during and after the 2008 financial crisis. When Conygar acquired the site in 2016, they set out a long-term regeneration programme intended to include homes, hotels, offices, student housing, leisure buildings and substantial new public realm.
The newly approved student block is a key element of the central portion of the masterplan. The proposals include a ten-storey purpose-built building, supported by new landscaping, pedestrian connections and integrated infrastructure intended to link this phase with other Island Quarter developments that have already been granted permission or are under construction. Revised drawings, elevations and landscaping plans were submitted during the application process, showing design refinements made in consultation with planning officers.
For residents living near Sneinton, the BBC Island and the southern city centre, one of the most immediate concerns has been the impact of construction traffic. Before any work begins, the developer must agree a Construction Traffic Management Plan setting out routes for construction vehicles, controls on staff parking, wheel-washing, site security and measures to stop mud and debris being carried onto nearby streets. These controls are designed to limit disruption in an already heavily used part of the city where pollution and congestion issues have been closely monitored for many years.
Strict air quality and noise requirements form another major part of the permission. Because the development lies within Nottingham’s Air Quality Management Area, the developer must install approved mechanical ventilation systems designed to protect student occupants from elevated pollution levels caused by surrounding roads. Noise mitigation measures must also meet exacting standards, including enhanced acoustic glazing, specified ventilation systems and controls on any mechanical plant. Full verification of these systems must be provided to the council before the building can be occupied, including photographs and technical performance data.
Biodiversity net gain requirements introduced by national legislation play a significant role in this approval. A full Biodiversity Gain Plan must be submitted before development can start, and a detailed Habitat Management and Monitoring Plan must then be followed for 30 years. This will cover planting schemes, habitat creation, soil depths, ecological checks and long-term management responsibilities. The council has confirmed that the development is not exempt from these legal duties, meaning the net gain must be delivered on-site rather than through off-site credits.
Due to the site’s long industrial history, extensive ground contamination and gas protection measures are also required. The developer must supply gas protection design drawings alongside a verification plan to confirm works have been completed effectively. Detailed remediation strategies must be fully implemented, and no occupation of the building can take place until the council is satisfied that ground contamination and gas risks have been addressed.
Archaeological requirements also apply because parts of the Island Quarter sit close to historic settlement and industrial areas. A full written scheme of investigation must be approved before work begins, and post-excavation analysis and archiving must be completed before the building opens. This continues the approach taken on earlier phases, where remains from nineteenth and twentieth-century industrial activity were uncovered.
For many nearby residents, one of the most visible impacts will arise during student arrival weekends at the start and end of academic terms. The council has therefore imposed a requirement for a dedicated student arrival and pick-up Traffic Management Plan, setting out how vehicles dropping off and collecting students will be handled to avoid congestion and protect residential parking. The permission also allows for new or amended traffic regulation orders if required. In line with long-standing city policy, all students living in the building are expected to be discouraged from bringing cars into Nottingham.
Cycle parking must be installed before the building can open, and refuse storage must provide sufficient capacity for several hundred residents. Any new vehicle gates or bollards must open inward and meet strict safety distances from the highway. The council has also advised that changes to kerbs, street furniture or road layouts may require legal agreements under highway legislation, adding further procedural steps before occupation.
As with other student schemes across the city, the building can only be used by people enrolled in full-time education or by non-students staying temporarily during holiday periods. The operator must maintain an up-to-date register of all residents and their courses. This condition is included to ensure the building cannot be repurposed as standard residential accommodation without separate planning approval.
The approval represents another milestone for a long-delayed redevelopment that has dominated Nottingham’s planning agenda for more than two decades. While many residents welcome renewed progress on a once-derelict site, others remain cautious about the concentration of high-rise student housing in and around the city centre. The Island Quarter already contains student accommodation either built or approved in earlier phases, and this latest block adds hundreds more bed spaces to an area undergoing rapid change.
Construction is expected to begin once pre-commencement conditions are discharged, meaning early groundwork, archaeological work and site preparation are likely to be the first signs of activity. The extensive conditions attached to the permission are intended to ensure that development is tightly managed throughout the build and long after completion, balancing the delivery of a major regeneration project with the needs of residents and neighbouring communities.
