A developer has launched an appeal after its plans for a towering building in Beeston were rejected. The plans for an eight-storey student complex to be built in place of the car park on Station Road were rejected by Broxtowe Borough Council's planning committee on July 27, 2022.
There would have been 419 bedrooms in the new block, which would have become the tallest in the town, but the plan's design and viability was criticised by local councillors at the meeting. However, a notification of planning appeal was recently issued, showing applicant Cassidy Group (Beeston) Limited had started the appeal process on January 11, in the hopes the Planning Inspectorate would overrule the decision.
In this notification a Broxtowe Borough Council planning officer said an appeal had been made to the Secretary of State and outlined the reasons the council had rejected the proposal initially. The planning officer added: "The submitted scheme, by virtue of its size and design, represents an unsatisfactory development which fails to provide appropriate internal floor space and consequently the proposal would afford a substandard level of amenity for future occupiers.
"The proposal also fails to provide sufficient car parking for a development of this magnitude and would increase on street parking in surrounding areas. The proposed restriction of occupation to students would also fail to maximise the potential contribution to town centre footfall during non-term periods."
The project had been recommended for approval by planning officers before being denied permission by committee members. The council's officers said the plan would free up many of Beeston’s houses and provide sufficient amenity to potential residents despite its high density.
They also concluded fears over traffic and parking were overstated, as students would be prohibited from keeping cars and free tram passes would be provided by the developer to occupants. A spokesman for Cassidy Group said: “The council and its planners supported our student scheme and gave their full support to it with a ‘recommendation for approval’ – however it was councillors who went against their own planners, who said that the scheme would benefit Broxtowe and its economy.
“Cassidy Group is committed to developing the scheme, which we believe has so many benefits to students. Not only will students love living there, so close to the amenities they enjoy as well as their university campus, but we are bringing a derelict site in the centre of beautiful Beeston back to life.
“We held a series of public engagement events with members of the public who supported the scheme, as well as councillors and Civic Society members. We also spoke to students and university representatives who also supported the scheme.”
Officers had warned there was a potential risk of costs being awarded against the council should the application be refused on the grounds of design or scale, parking or purpose built student accommodation. They noted the plans followed the same design principles and scale of the previous scheme granted consent for the site.
In 2020, the green light was given for the 'tallest building in Beeston' to be constructed at the site, which was also eight-storeys tall but was never started. The plans 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.
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