Plans to build tallest tower in city rejected

The application was to build two towers of student accommodation

Plans to build the tallest building in Nottingham have been rejected.

Developer Code Students wanted to turn disused land off Glasshouse Street, near the Victoria Centre, into two student accommodation blocks of 27 and 19 storeys.

Nottingham City Council's planning officers recommended refusing the bid, citing factors including "inadequate evidence of the need for purpose-built student accommodation".

The council's planning committee blocked the proposal at a meeting on Wednesday.

A council report said land earmarked by the developers had been vacant since 2021, with a children's charity previously occupying a four-storey building on the site.

It proposed building 1,252 studio flats and including "various amenity facilities for the student occupiers".

"The development would be the tallest building in Nottingham," the report said.

'Absolute chaos'

Discussing the plans, Labour councillor Sam Harris warned about the "astronomical" costs of studio flats.

"I really want that site to be useful for housing, and I like the idea of commercial units there, but there are real concerns around logistical elements," he said.

Labour councillor Kirsty L Jones raised concerns over the lack of communal spaces in the plans, which she said "could lead to difficulties with safeguarding".

"Other students might not be able to check on each other's wellbeing," she said.

"I wouldn't be opposed to a tall building, but it needs to add something."

Kevin Clarke, leader of Nottingham Independents, said he was worried about the effect on traffic in the area and the need for additional student accommodation in the city.

He added: "Congestion is already at a standstill, and this would cause absolute chaos."

After the meeting, Chris May, a partner at Freeths, which acted on behalf of the developer, said it had "followed all the correct process in terms of extensive design work and instructing a leading design heritage expert" for the project.

"It's obviously disappointing, it's been four-and-a-half years of hard work," he said.

"We need to take instructions, but I anticipate we will be going to appeal."