A plan to turn an unsafe Nottingham building into student accommodation has been hailed as a sign of 'unstoppable' progress in Nottingham. An empty piece of land formerly used as a car wash and a derelict Victorian commercial building in London Road, Nottingham city centre, could be transformed into a 245 student bedroom building, if new plans are approved by Nottingham City Council.
The remaining historic building, which has been labelled "very poor" and unsafe by its owners, would be cleaned and rebuilt and the extended complex would include amenity areas like a lounge and gym as well as secure parking for cycles and a visitor car park. Locals thought the project would contribute positively to Nottingham's future.
Steve Boyfield, 53, a roofer who lives in Gotham, said: "It has to have something done with it, else it will just be a car wash forever. I work in construction and these projects create a lot of jobs, there has been a boom in the past few years.
"You will never stop the machine or the progress. At the end of the day, as someone who was brought up in Sneinton, any regeneration is great.
"The way it is at the moment, no one will be spending the money to re-use it in the way it used to be. Students spend money and brighten the area up."
Andrew Whitehouse, 53, a window cleaner from Arnold, said: "I think that it is needed and we need to invest in the future of the city. New stuff like this is needed in a fast-changing area.
"I don't think it would be suitable for much else to be built there as it is so busy. The investment is what the city wants, it is big business now [student accommodation]."
The northern plot has been occupied since the late Victorian period by the Walter Danks & Co. Ltd building, which was built somewhere between 1885 and 1900. The "very poor" condition of the building has restricted access for internal investigation due to health and safety concerns, with the exterior of the building falling into disrepair and the interior unsafe, according to planning documents.
The southern part of the site was occupied by another building of a similar age, the Norfolk Hotel, but this has been demolished and has been used as a car wash in previous years. Mark Thornley, 70, from Hucknall, added: "I wish we would have investment like this in Hucknall, it is good for the city.
"It would look and be a lot more useful than it is now. Students also spend their money in the city and support businesses."
The name of the proposed development is currently planned to be Chainey Place, referencing the historic Chainey Pool that was previously on the site, roughly opposite the end of Crocus Street. This was one of two large pools in the area, the other being Chainey Flash, that was crossed by wooden bridges.
The new building would neighbour the 350-flat Saffron Court on Crocus Street, which was also developed by applicant Cassidy Group. A development of up to 150 apartments with associated communal space and parking was approved in 2019 for the site, but was never implemented.
A planning document, submitted by Maber on behalf of applicant Cassidy Group, said: "The proposed student residential scheme has been developed to coordinate with the surrounding buildings including the new Saffron Court development. We have developed the scheme in conjunction with Nottingham City Council and the proposed scheme has been amended and improved as a result of this pre-application process.
"The building uses a palette of materials that are sympathetic to both the new buildings in the area and the existing buildings such as the Victorian Hicking Lace Works and Walter Danks building. The scale and proportions have been carefully considered to be coordinated with the neighbouring Saffron Court development and adjacent Hicking buildings.
"The scheme has been designed to be low energy and efficient to build. Located on an important route into Nottingham’s city centre, the building will be seen as a high-quality addition to an area that is undergoing some exciting new developments. The scheme will make use of a site which has been left derelict for some years and will create a new neighbourhood and much needed student accommodation."
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