Criticism over cave pillar plans for Nottingham student flats

Developers want to replace the city's former police and fire station

Plans to reinforce a cave network beneath a proposed block of student flats have been criticised.

Developers want to knock down the former police and fire station in Nottingham's Shakespeare Street and build a 987-bed complex.

As part of the proposals for the 12-storey building, supporting pillars would be needed within the caves.

The civic society has hit out at the designs, saying they would damage part of the city's history.

In a preliminary application, Vita Group has asked for permission to reinforce the caves which are located to the south east of the site, and are linked to Nottingham's Guildhall.

The company said the pillars would allow the weight of the building to be loaded onto the bedrock below the structure.

A spokesperson said: "The Guildhall is an incredibly exciting regeneration project, but it isn't without its technical challenges to harness the site's potential.

"As with any site of this nature, it will involve working closely with Historic England to ensure any features of significant importance are retained."

Vita Group said it also wanted to operate tours in collaboration with City of Caves "so more people can see these historic features in a controlled way".

Hilary Silvester, executive chair of the Nottingham Civic Society, said they were "absolutely against the plans".

"The caves are historic and we don't want concrete pillars to be put in," she said.

"I think people are rightly concerned. I don't think we make enough of our caves."

Hidden history

• According to estimates, Nottingham has about 870 caves

• Carved into the soft sandstone, they are believed to date back to at least medieval times

• Over the centuries, they have been uses as dwellings, workplaces, and storage spaces

• Many serve a function to this day, with some pubs using them to keep ale at a consistent cool temperature