A wide-range of projects were applied for and given the go-ahead last week in Nottingham. There were a variety of plans submitted to Nottingham City Council that made progress in the week ending June 17.
The two most significant were the approval of plans for more rooms at a huge student building and the green light being given for a new city restaurant. Elsewhere, plans to make changes at a set of luxury riverside flats were given the go-ahead.
At two other sites, applications were put forward for buildings to be recognised as Assets of Community Value, which lets communities identify a building as important to social well-being.
Read more: Sadness over plans to knock down part of 'beautiful' Nottingham bowls club for flats
426-bedroom tower to be built on bingo hall site
A demolished bingo hall will now host even more students, after the council gave the green light to new plans. Nottingham City Council gave permission to the developer to increase the number of bedrooms at the new tower planned on the old Gala Bingo building site in St Ann's Well Road from 356 to 426, on June 17.
Developers had initially hoped to build 396 flats, over nine storeys, but this was reduced before the plans came to Nottingham City Council’s planning committee on January 20, 2021. But now the site's new owners, Crown Student Living, who confirmed to Nottingham City Council they had bought it in May 2020, want to add extra rooms by redesigning the layout of the initial plans and re-purposing "oversized apartment social space".
The owners of the site also suggested the development would "relieve pressure from the saturated HMO market". When Nottinghamshire Live asked locals, they gave mixed opinions of the prospect of more students being brought to the area.
Alfreton Road restaurant
A new 'family friendly' takeaway will soon open in the city. The new 'Burger & Sauce' restaurant will take over a currently vacant spot in Alfreton Road, Radford, formerly occupied by Reno's Restaurant, after Nottingham City Council gave plans the go ahead on June 13.
Developers will add a takeaway to the existing restaurant and replace the "outdated" old shop front with new signs and a renovated shop front. They have also said the inside of the building will be finished to give it a "modern, elegant appearance" with a new customer dining area that would seat 24 people.
A council report on the decision said: "The surrounding area is largely commercial and due to the site's location on a busy arterial road, there would be no adverse impact on the amenities of neighbouring occupiers in terms of loss of privacy and noise. However, the nature of the proposed development is such that the discharging and dispersing of fumes as a result of cooking needs to be addressed.
"Environmental Health are satisfied that this matter can be addressed through submission of a scheme that can be required by condition. A condition restricting the hours of use is also recommended."
St Ann's Allotments look to become listed
An application has been put forward for St Ann's Allotments to be included on the List of Assets of Community Value. According to documents submitted to Nottingham City Council, the allotment has around 600 tenants, plus co-workers and their family and friends who visit.
The site is also home to community partnerships with National Probation Service, Ecoworks, Framework, Autism East Midlands, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Refugee Forum, STAA and the Community Orchard project. All have school visits and community workshops.
The allotments have between 2,000 - 6,000 visitors per year (pre and post pandemic) and also acts as the staff office for 7 part-time employees responsible for site management. The document also outlined that demand for allotments or access to green space has tripled through the pandemic, with a 230-strong waiting list and 18-month waiting time.
Changes at luxury apartments
The go-ahead has been given for a refreshed plan at a block of luxury flats. On June 17, Nottingham City Council approved plans for alternative landscaping and an open-space riverside walkway for The Yacht Club “Riverside” flats.
The project is made up of 81 luxury apartments, ranging between one and three bedrooms, which all include smart technology and car parking, as well as an inspiring outdoor space for communal use. Work started on the Park Yacht Inn site in 2020.
Planning permission for the former Park Yacht Inn site was secured by McCann Family Investments Ltd back in March 2016. Work was expected to start that year but project delays led to the site being placed on the market.
Listing of charity building
The Renewal Trust has applied for the Sycamore Millennium Centre in Hungerhill Road to be included on the List of Assets of Community Value. The building is currently used as a community facility, regularly providing activities for young people and adults such as crafts and sports.
According to documents submitted to the council, it is used as a base to provide support for those in need of food and those struggling with mental health or isolation. It is also the main base of NNRF, a refugee charity that assists asylum seekers and refugees with clothing, food and toiletries, English language lessons, money management, and volunteering opportunities.
The applicants say any loss of the facility permanently would "leave a much needed and used charity with no base to operate from" and "magnify the issues that the temporary closure has had in terms of poor mental health and access to a well-known community sports club".
