City apartments plan rejected by council

The block would have been built next to the existing converted library

Plans to build nine new apartments to address a “severe shortage” of new housing in a Derby suburb have been refused because of potential harm to a former city library building.

The former Carnegie Library on Pear Tree Road, which dates back to 1915, was sold in 2018 by the city council as "surplus to requirements".

In 2021 it opened after conversion into a fashion-focused shopping centre.

Now plans to build a three-storey, nine apartment, building next to it have been blocked by the city council, which said the scheme would "disrupt the heritage asset and its setting".

The company behind the development – 2i Investments Ltd – said the new development would enhance the Pear Tree Road area and deliver housing supply at a "critical" time.

But Derby City Council refused the planning application on the grounds that it would cause planning harm, said the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Planning bosses said the new development would be "directly abutting the locally listed building and therefore disrupt the heritage asset and its setting".

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