A student accommodation site used by University of Nottingham students could be refurbished and extended.
Madison Court, in Lenton , is currently home to 420 students -but has become “dated” and in need of refurbishment, after being built in the early 2000s.
Applicant Bluesky Student Madison Gardens Ltd has asked Nottingham City Council for permission to transform the site.
It wants to carry out an interior refurbishment of the existing student accommodation, add eight additional studio flats, a new communal building including a roof garden, and refurbish sports pitches.
The site currently features a reception, an empty ‘estate office’, communal laundry room, quiet study room and an outdoor sports pitch for students.
But the application states the ‘quiet study’ space is under-used and not popular with the students.
It added that there is a “poor sense of community” on the site due to lack of high quality communal space.
The interiors of the flats have a “dated aesthetic and does not offer good value for money” and the sports pitch is also “underused and in need of a refurbishment”.
Council documents state it is “currently not fulfilling its potential as a unique social and physical health and wellbeing facility for the students.”
Plans include modernising the blocks with new kitchens, bathrooms and
flooring.
flooring.
Seven new studios with kitchenettes and en suites would be built on the site and one studio would replace the existing empty
‘estate office’.
‘estate office’.
A new communal block and roof terrace would be created as part of the car park “at the heart of the site”, using old shipping containers.
There would also be 90 parking spaces and 84 cycle spaces provided at the site in Derwent Way.
Council documents stated: “Re-purposed shipping containers for communal
facilities is a proven and popular concept that has been successfully used across the country for popup retail and cafe spaces.
facilities is a proven and popular concept that has been successfully used across the country for popup retail and cafe spaces.
“The final building can be easily branded with unique colour schemes, logos or artwork, to create a memorable landmark feature for the site.”
Nottingham City Council will now decide whether to approve the plans.
