By Joe Locker, Local Democracy Reporter
Plans to demolish a social club in Sneinton and turn it into supported living flats have been rejected by Nottingham City Council due to its design and narrow rooms.
The Building Trades Social Club, in Thurgarton Street, permanently closed and was put up for sale.
Hockley Developments Ltd purchased the site and proposed to demolish the old social club building to make way for a supported living complex featuring 12 flats.
The developer, which is also behind the problem-plagued Sherwood Library scheme, said its plans intended to assist the council “in meeting its supported living provision targets as the demand in the area continues to increase”.
However, council documents say the authority has rejected its proposals on three grounds.
“The proposal represents the loss of a community facility that has not been adequately justified,” the council’s director of planning, Paul Seddon, says in a decision notice.
“The proposal therefore fails to enhance the sustainability of communities and residential environments through the loss of a community facility.”
The council also says the scale, massing and design of the proposed building fails to respect and enhance the Victorian and Edwardian character of the area, and that future residents of the flats “would have a poor standard of amenity”.
“Overall, the massing and design of the proposed building fails to positively enhance the street scene and character of the area,” the documents add.
“The massing and scale of the building replicates the existing poor quality building rather than taking the opportunity to design a building whose scale integrates with the neighbouring properties.
“The design of the building replicates specific elements from neighbouring properties without creating a cohesive integrated design which results in bland elevations that would not creative an active frontage.
“The lower ground level consists of two narrow, single aspect, one-bedroom apartments whose sole aspect is at street level of Lord Nelson Street to the west.
“The floor plan is extremely inefficient. The narrow layout of the rooms would also prevent natural light from reaching into the majority of the living spaces.
“The only windows being at street level means occupiers would likely feel overlooked, with no separation between the property and the pavement. It is therefore considered the occupiers of these lower ground units would have a poor standard of amenity.”
According to a document from property consultants Innes England, published in March 2023, the social club was put up for sale with offers in the region of £550,000.
The final post on the Building Trades Social Club’s Facebook page, from July 27 this year, confirmed the club had been sold.
Nearby residents were consulted on the plans.
Some raised concerns over disruption caused by the demolition, and others said 12 flats is too high a density for the small site.
The Nottingham Civic Society said it had reservations over the design of the complex and said it was “mundane”.
Hockley Developments Ltd now has the opportunity to appeal the decision.
