Second tower block opposite Nottingham Railway Station tipped for approval

Unity Square, HMRC's new office in Nottingham
Unity Square, HMRC's new office in Nottingham
By Joe Locker, Local Democracy Reporter

A second tower block opposite Nottingham Railway Station has been tipped for approval.

Plans from Peveril Securities Limited and Sladen Estates say the office block could create up to 2,000 jobs.

It forms the second phase of the Unity Square development, after HMRC began moving 5,000 staff members into its 10-storey tower block in Sheriffs Way last year.

If approved by Nottingham City Council’s planning committee on February 22, the tower would be built up to a height of 13 storeys, becoming even taller than the first Unity Square block.

The Nottingham Civic Society says it “continues to object to the height, massing and design of the Unity Square phase 2 office building.”

It says: “[This is] because it overwhelms the setting of the Grade-II listed station from its location just outside the Station Conservation Area.

“The building would also damage the setting of Nottingham Castle, listed Grade-I, by asserting its height and bulk in the view over the River Trent plain, thereby compromising the castle’s historic sense of pre-eminence over its surroundings.”

In January 2019, Nottingham City Council granted planning permission for two office buildings totalling up to 58,360 square-metres across the site.

Full planning permission was granted for Phase 1 in the first instance alongside outline planning permission for Phase 2.

Detailed plans for Phase 2 were submitted last year.

City council planning documents state that, since the submission of the plans at the beginning of 2022, the scheme “has been the subject of extensive discussion and amendment to address concerns raised.”

Addressing the revisions, the documents add: “The shape and form of the building has taken a greater reference from Phase 1, the creased elevations of which are felt to create a more interesting building form that also helps to break down the mass of the building.

“The revised scheme does not mirror but now more closely follows the architectural language of Phase 1.

“This is felt to have been successful in breaking down the mass of the building and creating a complimentary neighbour to Phase 1, but with more subtle differences in terms of its detailing and materiality.”

The building will be 13-storeys in height in considering its ground floor level, which will accommodate parking for 30 cars and 100 bicycles.