Plans for an apartment block near Beeston Marina, which were rejected, are expected to return to the table with a number of changes, but councillors remain sceptical.
In January 2025, Broxtowe Borough Council’s planning committee unanimously refused permission for a two- and three-storey apartment complex off Riverside Road, Beeston Rylands.
The site overlooks the Nottingham and Beeston Canal and the River Trent.
Developer Beeston Marina Limited appealed to the Planning Inspectorate to have the decision reviewed but the appeal was dismissed in September last year.
A review determined the block of 29 flats would have led to “substantial” harm, particularly to the lock-keeper’s cottage and other heritage assets along the canal.
Beeston Marina Limited has now launched a public consultation over its plan to submit revised proposals for the site.
It says it plans to reduce the number of flats to between 22 and 25 and that they will have “careful management and a strong connection to the wider Marina community”.
Other proposed changes include moving the buildings further away from the bungalows opposite, breaking the accommodation into smaller forms, and exploring pitched and part-pitched roofs to create a more gradual transition in height.
Broxtowe Alliance councillor Shaun Dannheimer, who represents Beeston Rylands, said: “While the revised designs differ from the previously rejected scheme, significant concerns remain about the overall scale and height of the development and the impact it could have on neighbouring residents.
“Issues have been raised around overlooking and the potential loss of natural sunlight to nearby properties.
“The developers have said they are willing to listen to residents’ concerns and consider changes to the design. It is therefore important that local people take this opportunity to make their views heard.”
The developer says the new plans are only at the concept stage and do not yet constitute a finished planning application.
In a statement, Beeston Marina Limited said the previous plan was a “significant learning experience” and has promised to better engage with the public.
“We recognise that the previous process met the formal planning requirements but did not give the community enough opportunity to understand the wider story or influence the design at an early stage,” the developer said.
“This time we want to create conversation, not confrontation. Feedback is being invited while there is still genuine scope to change the proposal.
“The appeal inspector’s principal concerns related to the scale, massing and dominant appearance of the previous buildings, their relationship with the lower-scale surroundings and canal-side.
“The inspector did not find that the scheme would cause harmful overlooking or an unacceptable highway safety impact. The revised concepts are therefore concentrating on the issues that were identified as harmful, rather than simply resubmitting the former design.”
Members of the public are now invited to a meeting on Tuesday (November 3), which will take place at the Plessey Centre in Marconi Drive from 6.30 pm.
By Joe Locker, Local Democracy Reporter
