Abandoned Leicester street to be used for 135 council homes

NHS workers and their families left the homes in Hospital Close back in 2019

A £17m plan to bring an abandoned street back into use has taken a step forward after plans for 135 new homes were approved.

Leicester City Council bought Hospital Close in 2021 after the estate was virtually abandoned two years before.

University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust said it could not afford to upgrade the homes to modern standards.

In recent years the site, near Leicester General Hospital, has become a magnet for anti-social behaviour.

The city council said it hoped the scheme would not just tackle the problems plaguing the area, but also help it meet growing demand for council homes, with all the homes to be added to the authority's portfolio.

Last summer, the authority revealed detailed plans for the site, which would see 135 "affordable" council homes created across two phases.

The estate was bought by the council in 2021

The first phase will see 35 homes created across 23 buildings, which will be refurbished, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

The remaining 100 homes planned for the estate - split across 13 buildings - "require more extensive remodelling to allow them to also be used", planning documents revealed.

While the proposals have been given the green light, some criticism was levelled at the authority's plan.

Planning officers described phase two as "messy", saying they were "still unconvinced by the proposed appearance, material choices and facade treatment of the proposed development".

They also raised some concerns about an area of land to the rear of some of the phase one homes, which they said would not be a "useable space".

It would also not be overlooked by any of the homes, leading to a lack of surveillance that could encourage anti-social behaviour, they added.

When asked why it had taken more than two years for the plans to be approved, a Leicester City Council spokesperson said the scheme was "ambitious and complex".

They added: "A lot of preparatory work has already been done, including new roofs, drainage surveys and asbestos removal.

"With planning permission now in place, a contractor will be appointed in the coming weeks with major work expected to get under way in the summer.

"We expect the first new homes to be ready to welcome tenants by the end of the year."