12-storey student block for Island Quarter approved
AMENITIES WILL INCLUDE ‘SKY LOUNGES’ WITH VIEWS ACROSS THE CITY
THE latest phase of The Island Quarter development, which includes a new 702-bed student living facility, has been approved by Nottingham City Council.
The development will now feature an up-to-12-storey block featuring a range of accommodation types including studios. Plans - drawn up by DAY Architectural for The Conygar Investment Company PLC - were approved on Wednesday.
Amenities for students will include high-level sky lounges that offer clear views across the city as well as a pavilion that offers a view of a private courtyard.
The approved plans also feature multi-media lounges and co-working spaces, as well as gaming zones and quiet areas for study and relaxation.
It is hoped that the Purpose Built Student Accommodation (PBSA) on The Island Quarter will free up family homes currently used by students and help return them to their intended use.
Christopher Ware, property director at Conygar, said: “We’re delighted that the planning committee has approved the plans for the proposed student accommodation on The Island Quarter. Nottingham is a world-renowned university city, and the student population is growing rapidly to reflect that. Add in the demand from second- and third-year students to remain in PBSA, and it is clear there is a real need for quality student beds in the city.
“This element of the scheme really supports our plans for inter-generational living across the site. One of the biggest impacts of the pandemic has been that people of all ages are reassessing their relationship with where they live, and we want to create places and spaces where people can live, work and thrive.”
David Jones, director at planning consultant AXIS, said: “This phase will be a real step forward for the development as a whole. The location of this phase – right next to Biocity and close to Sneinton – means that it will act as a beacon, bringing life to the eastern edge of the site and providing a space that will draw people into The Island Quarter.”
The £1 billion 36-acre redevelopment of the site is likely to start on site shortly and be available for students from the start of the 2023/24 academic year.
The Island Quarter masterplan, which received outline planning approval in April 2019, has been designed with a full lifecycle of uses, including hotels and hospitality, office space and community living.
Recent changes to the plan were made in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, adding 10,000sqm more green space to the site and rethinking the street plan to create an ‘urban river.’
Richard Watson, of Conygar, said: “The PBSA on The Island Quarter site forms an integral part of what we are trying to achieve with the development.
“In the wake of COVID-19, it has never been more important to encourage healthy, sustainable and resilient living, and this element of the scheme will help in creating a true community around the site.
“The reimagined masterplan creates active, liveable and safe spaces that will connect the various elements of the scheme with each other and, more importantly, with the area’s existing vibrant communities.”
Tom Exell, director of architecture at DAY Architectural, said: “This will be a unique PBSA offering in a highly competitive market, with a real focus on high quality design and student wellbeing across all aspects.
“We’re delighted to have achieved planning approval and excited to see the development move onto the next stage.”
The first phase of the The Canal Turn, at the opposite end of the site, will bring a new three-storey restaurant, bar and meeting and banqueting space to the city’s waterfront. It is expected to open to the public in the early summer of 2022.
It will act as a beacon bringing life to the eastern edge of the site...
David Jones, AXIS