Nottingham's former HMRC offices have been awarded with a special status as plans to turn it into a new University of Nottingham campus progress. The Castle Meadow office buildings, which were occupied by around 2,000 HM Revenue & Customs workers until 2021, have been Grade II-listed by the Department of Culture Media and Sport, affording them protected status due to their "special architectural or historic interest".
This has made the series of 1990s buildings, which were purchased by the University of Nottingham in 2021 and are currently being made into a new city campus, some of the youngest listed buildings in the UK. The university explained it had been working with heritage bodies and the complex's architect since buying the site, and that the listing would not affect its plans.
A University of Nottingham spokesperson said: "The University has been working with English Heritage and the original architect Michael Hopkins & Partners since the purchase of the site with the knowledge that the buildings may become listed in due course. The detailed plans for the campus have been discussed with the local authority to ensure they are fully aware, and it is not envisaged that the listing of the buildings will materially alter the plans for the University.
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"We will continue to work with our partners to progress the development plans required to achieve our vision for the future of our campus and to maintain Castle Meadow's iconic stature within the city under the stewardship of the University."
The campus was created after HMRC, known as Inland Revenue at the time, announced in 1989 that it would relocate almost 2,000 roles from London to Nottingham. Locals and heritage bodies then successfully prevented the original plan for a new Inland Revenue Centre from going ahead, on the grounds that it was of poor design quality and would have a detrimental impact on the setting of the nearby Nottingham Castle.
This led to an unusual open architectural competition being launched in 1992, with the architects Michael Hopkins & Partners emerging as winners and building the complex in 1993-94. HMRC occupied the building for more than two decades before moving staff into the new Unity Square block off Sheriff’s Way.
Hoping to recognise the unique nature of the buildings, Nottingham Civic Society applied to list the building in July 2021 with the support of the Twentieth Century Society, the national charity for the protection of Britain’s modern architecture. Ian Wells, of the Nottingham Civic Society, said: "The original proposed building was not appropriate for the site so a competition was held, and they understood how to use the space and keep that look of the slightly industrial brick and use several buildings rather than a taller structure.
"In terms of sustainability and ecological considerations it was very innovative for its time with its use of heating shafts and such, and was one of the earlier buildings where the planet was considered. The way it was constructed was important to us, it represents a time in building history and the scheme now [University of Nottingham's campus] will retain that."
Before the Castle Meadow site was bought by the university, outline planning permission to convert the offices into 332 one and two bedroom homes was granted in February 2018. A consultation with Hopkins Architects concluded the building would be suitable for conversion, but that there was a risk of serious damage to the clarity and fabric of the original design without a sympathetic approach and the protection afforded by listing.
The buildings' designers explained they were relieved the University of Nottingham had secured the future of the site and that the legacy of the project would be protected by the listing. Mike Taylor, principal at Hopkins Architects, said: “Our Castle Meadow project for the Inland Revenue was forward thinking both in using low energy environmental systems, and in the way they were expressed as an integrated part of the overall architectural language. The main buildings were very well detailed and robustly built out of durable prefabricated components and as a consequence are in excellent condition today.
"We were delighted when the University of Nottingham purchased the entire site thereby securing its future for the wider public benefit in such an important location within the city centre. Over time the individual blocks can be modified for academic use, which is relatively straightforward and a good example of the long life loose fit philosophy we should all be building to. Now that 30 years have elapsed since construction began it was expected that the site would be Grade-II listed, which should further secure its legacy as an important milestone in the UK’s architectural history.”
Coco Whittaker, senior caseworker for the C20 Society, said the charity was excited to see people return to Castle Meadow after its listing. “We’re thrilled that the remarkable Inland Revenue Centre has been listed. It is an exceptional collection of buildings and spaces, pioneering in its design and green ambitions. The Inland Revenue Centre is the sixth Hopkins building to be included on the National Heritage List for England and follows the listing of 22 Shad Thames in London in summer 2021 – it’s fantastic that the practice’s work and contribution to 20th-century architecture in England is being recognised in this way.
"It was a major 1990s public commission and is the practice’s youngest building to be listed. We hope now that the listing will inform any proposed interventions to adapt the site for use by the university. We look forward to seeing these buildings in use once again, at the centre of student life in Nottingham.”
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