By Joe Locker, Local Democracy Reporter
A developer has submitted plans for two tower blocks for 1,284 student flats in the centre of Nottingham.
Code Students (Nottingham) Limited is proposing to build one 19-storey tower and another 27-storey tower on the junction of Glasshouse Street, Huntingdon Street and Cairns Street.
The towers are planned to sit above a three-storey plinth.
The site, which sits next to the Victoria Centre and flats above, was previously home to a three-storey office block before it was demolished to make way for a development.
Plans reveal the developer hopes to build the purpose-built student accommodation alongside facilities including a gym, cinema, common rooms, raised external deck, cycle and bin storage and a ground floor commercial unit.
The developer says: “It is anticipated that this development will play an important role by providing much needed student bed spaces to the rapidly growing universities within the vicinity of the site.
“In turn, this will reduce the reliance on private rented accommodation, often in traditional terrace houses more suited to families, within the suburbs of Nottingham and help provide high quality accommodation that is both convenient and sustainable.”
There has been an approximate 30 per cent increase in students needing accommodation between 2016 and 2022 across both the University of Nottingham and Nottingham Trent University.
At present there is an estimated shortfall in the city of 5,500 beds, Nottingham City Council said at the end of last year.
This is despite there being 10,000 bed spaces in the development pipeline, which is the largest in the UK outside of London.
Alongside the tower the developer has submitted a concept to regenerate a green space opposite the site.
Here a new seating area, planting and trees have been proposed outside the New Foresters pub.
“The area is not within the application boundary or applicant ownership, proposals are therefore indicative and conceptual, however they represent a willingness to consider making a contribution to this space to enable improvement,” plans add.
The plans have been reduced in size from initial proposals for a 38-storey tower back in March 2021, which would have housed more than 1,500 students.
It says the brief was for up to 1,400 students.
Pre-application concerns have been raised by the Nottingham Civic Society, which says: “It would change dramatically the local environment, having an
adverse impact on the regeneration prospects and appearance of the whole of the city centre.
“Contrary to the applicant’s assertion, this development is not representative of ‘the emerging city scale’ but is an outlier well beyond anything ever approved in Nottingham.”
Historic England also says consideration should be given as to the development’s impact on the city skyline.
It says: “The impact of the proposed scheme in views of the heritage assets affected should be assessed, in particular, long views of heritage assets and key views identified by your authority, including key approaches into the city centre and key views from but not limited to, Nottingham Castle (scheduled monument) and Wollaton Hall (listed Grade I), including views from the Prospect Room, and impacts in views of Green’s Mill ( Grade II listed) and landmark churches.”
Plans will now be assessed by Nottingham City Council.
