A vast new £30m flats complex will be built in an area that people say has 'changed a lot' in recent years. An eight storey tower block of 141 apartments will be built at the junction of Crocus Street and Wallett Street, on the edge of The Meadows, after plans were unanimously approved by Nottingham City Council's planning committee on November 23. The flats will be for young professionals, the team behind the ambitious project said.
The site comprises a collection of industrial buildings and a large surface car park, with the oldest oldest building on the site dating from the early 1900s. The surrounding area has undergone significant redevelopment in recent years with the new Central Fire Station, built off the A60 London Road, and eight storey Saffron Court block - behind the Hicking Building - containing 350 apartments.
The team behind the new flats block have shared images of how the development is expected to look once built. People who were passing by said the £30m project would be another change for the area. Michael Preffitt, 65, from St Ann's, said: "This side of the city has changed a lot, there are a lot of new buildings here.
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"I think it is a good idea to make this area more residential. We will have to wait and see if all this change is a good thing in the long term for the city." Derrick Moorhouse, who is in his 70s and lives in West Bridgford, said: "It is all students around here now, it feels like it is killing the city.
"We have no industry in Nottingham anymore, you have a lot of old buildings being knocked down and it is a sign of the times. If it is residential that's great, but who's to say students won't just rent there."
There will be 72 one-bedroom apartments and 69 two-bedroom spaces, with access from Wallett Street. There will be 44 car parking spaces at the ground floor level along with bin and cycle storage facilities.
A Nottingham resident, who did not want to be named, added: "It's positive to see money being invested into building better accommodation but I do worry that there are not enough low cost homes.
"If it's not being used for anything anymore then you can't really be that upset about it. But I would also like to see something more affordable built, I assume they will be quite expensive."
Projects Director Nigel Singh, of BSP, has led the plans for the development project, having worked with architects and planning consultants including Keith Clark of CBP Architects, Alison Dudley of Zenith Planning & Design Consultants and Matt Hilton from HEB Property Consultants.
Applicants Arkwright Property Co Ltd said the development would take two years to build. They added this will generate significant jobs throughout the construction period and once the development is completed.
In a report submitted to Nottingham City Council's planning committee before the plan was approved, a planning officer said: "It is concluded that the proposed development would have a positive visual impact upon the site and its surroundings and would not adversely impact on any key views identified with the Nottingham Urban Design Guide. There is no substantial harm or loss of significance to the adjacent listed buildings or conservation area as a result of the proposed development."
The landscape of nearby Traffic Street, to the south of the city's railway station, is also undergoing significant change due a number of new developments.
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