New Nottingham student block plan submitted days after council leader said 'we have enough'
Plans for another Nottingham student block have been submitted, just days after Nottingham City Council's leader Neghat Khan said the city has "enough" student accommodation. If given the green light, the four-storey development at Dominion House on Castle Boulevard will include 141 bedrooms and two retail units on the ground floor.
The unit is currently occupied by Zoo Interiors, a showroom selling home furniture. Signs in the shop's window, however, announce the business will be moving to a new location in March.
According to planning documents the current building was originally used as a vehicle repair shop and showroom in the early 1950s. In the 1990s, it was converted for bulky goods and retail use.
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The plans also include two houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) at 49 and 51 Fishpond Drive, with four bedrooms in total. The development would see the demolition of the existing showroom but retain its original façade.
The two houses will be retained in their current form, but the small lean-to at the rear will be demolished. The four bedrooms will also be retained but will be incorporated in the overall scheme, with access made through the new development.
A total of 122 cluster bedrooms could be delivered, along with 15 studios. With the four existing bedrooms, the development would have a total of 141 units.
The design and access statement submitted with the planning application reads: "The development has a desirable location, within walking distance of the new University of Nottingham Castle Meadow Campus, the city centre and several transport links. It will offer high-quality student accommodation in a sustainable location, tying in with the nearby regeneration of the University of Nottingham Castle Meadow Campus.
The development will regenerate an under-utilised site. In addition, the incorporation of ground floor commercial units will provide amenity for the local community, retaining activity at ground level.
"The site presents the opportunity to regenerate and reinvigorate the existing building to ensure its long-term and appropriate use, safeguarding the building for the future. The proposed design will improve the attractiveness and animation on Castle Boulevard by refurbishing the existing façade and new student accommodation scheme."
The proposals come just days after Neghat Khan, Nottingham City Council leader, told a meeting the city has "got enough of it [student accommodation]". Councillor Khan also pledged there will be no student accommodation at the Broad Marsh development.
The news has been met with relief by some as final proposals for the rest of the Broad Marsh development are set to be revealed in March. The leader said she wants to see more families and working-class people living at the Broad Marsh in future, rather than students.
At a meeting on Monday, January 27, the leader of the opposition at the city council, Councillor Kevin Clarke, asked: "I hope the council gives a commitment that permanent residential accommodation will be prioritized on the [Broad Marsh] site rather than purpose-built student accommodation."
Councillor Khan responded by saying: "That's exactly what we're asking for, no more student accommodation around the city centre. We've got enough of it."
The plans for the new Castle Boulevard block cannot be turned by the authority without a valid reason, however. This includes issues to do with traffic or material planning and is the case with every planning application.
If the plans are turned down for no valid reason, the decision will likely be overturned on appeal by the government's planning inspectors. This would potentially result in the council having to pay the developer.
Nottinghamshire Live has approached councillor Khan for comment. The proposals will be decided by Nottingham City Council at a later date.
Nottingham has so far managed to “hold the line” by building just enough student accommodation to meet demand, Nottingham City Council said last year. The Labour-run council says it has done this by focusing on approving housing that has been purpose-built for students specifically.
By 2027, it says almost 80 per cent of students will be living in this type of accommodation instead of in homes originally built as urban family housing. Last year, the council said it had “clear evidence” family homes were being returned from students, with roughly 200 residential and family properties returned to the market in a year.