Apartment block near cathedral set for approval

The Cathedral has raised concerns about the proposed neighbouring building

Plans for a nine-storey block of flats near Derby Cathedral are set to be given the green light.

Developers want to build 195 apartments on Full Street in the city centre.

The cathedral previously warned the new building would "overwhelm" and hide the Grade I-listed place of worship.

Revised plans have now been recommended for approval by Derby City Council planning officers.

The council's planning committee will discuss the scheme on Thursday

The proposed development would accommodate the apartments, a café, residential amenity space, gym, private and public landscaping, car and cycle parking.

Developers Wavensmere Homes and Wilson Bowden submitted their initial plans for the scheme, called Cathedral One, last year.

Cathedral bosses asked the council to request the developers to change the design to reduce any potential harm to the skyline.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) said the developers revised the scheme to create 195 flats, but reduced the block's height by 1.6m (5.2ft) aiming to keep the Cathedral “the star of the show”.

Council planners said the benefits of the scheme would outweigh the harm to nearby historical buildings

However, Derby Cathedral does still have concerns regarding the plans.

In a letter to the council dated May 2024 the cathedral said it “needs to be re-assured that the view and light from windows in the cathedral are not compromised” and that the amended reduction in height was “modest”.

Historic England also raised strong objections about the initial proposals but did not object to the altered plans.

In a report, the council said the scheme would deliver new homes, regenerate a vacant city centre site and create constriction jobs.

It said the public benefits would outweigh the "less than substantial harm" to heritage and non-designated heritage assets including the Derwent Valley World Heritage Site.

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