Update on huge addition to Nottinghamshire town as new plans surface
New plans have surfaced for a long-planned and huge addition to a Nottinghamshire town that has proved controversial in the past. Developer Cassidy Group has submitted plans that suggest it could shrink the dominating eight-storey block of flats it had planned on Station Road, in Beeston, before finally starting construction of the structure.
The Government's Planning Inspectorate gave permission for the large student complex to be built on the car park next to the town's ARC Cinema and Tesco in June 2023, despite the plans being rejected by Broxtowe Borough Council's planning committee in July 2022. The 419-bedroom tower was set to be the tallest structure in the town by some distance, but construction has not commenced in the year since Government inspectors gave it approval.
Cassidy Group has now asked Broxtowe Borough Council if it can reduce the height of the building to six-storeys and finalise other details that will allow the project to get underway. Back when the project was rejected by local councillors in 2022, planning committee members raised concerns over its size, the quality of life for the students inside, and how it would impact parking in the area.
Beeston Civic Society, which looks to preserve the town's history and character, has also consistently objected to the "bitterly disappointing" development. The council's officers, however, said the plan would free up many of Beeston’s houses and provide sufficient amenity to potential residents despite its high density.
The property developer has previously argued the new building would regenerate the currently derelict site and boost Beeston’s economy through its retail and commercial units. A previous developer got planning approval to construct the 'tallest building in Beeston' at the site in 2020, but this eight-storeys tower was never started.
This abandoned plan consisted of 132 residential apartments, 50 car parking spaces, two roof gardens and a ground-floor commercial unit which could be used for anything from a concert venue to offices to bars.