M&S Home to become homes for students
EMPTY SHOP UNIT WILL BECOME FIVE-STOREY ACCOMMODATION BLOCK WITH 156 BEDROOMS
THE transformation of a former Marks and Spencer Home store into student accommodation has been given the green light – and experts believe it could help to revitalise a street that has struggled since the Broadmarsh Centre closed down.
The site of the former Lister Gate shop, which has stood empty since last year, is set to be transformed into a 156bed student block.
Under plans put forward for the plot, there will also be two refurbished retail units on the ground and first floors, with the student accommodation behind and above in the five and six-storey building.
Parts of the first and second floors will be demolished to transform the old store.
The street off Old Market Square has made the headlines for the amount of “To Let” signs, with shoppers having spoken of the demise of the area because of shops closing down. It’s also been described as a street “full of empty shops”.
Independent retail analyst Nelson Blackley said the planning approval could bring bring more people to the city centre, adding plans for revitalisation schemes typically include mixedused accommodation.
Mr Blackley said: “It’s definitely good news. It’s a prominent building and the fact that it is going to be a mixed-use building with shops is excellent.
“The whole Lister Gate area has struggled in the past few years, partly because of the demise of the Broadmarsh Centre.
“If you set aside Broadmarsh, there are a number of things happening that might be showing the green shoots of recovery in that area.
“The approval of this accommodation will bring people into the city centre and, despite people having reservations over student developments, a lot of revitalising plans now include mixed-use accommodation.
“If you look into the past a lot of housing was above retail spaces but then retail took over, and now it’s heading back to how it was then rather than what we’ve seen for the last 15 years.”
The construction project will cost £16m and is expected to take two years to complete.
There will be 22 cluster flats consisting of four and five bedrooms, and 56 self-contained studios bedrooms with kitchenettes. Students will also have access to social spaces and study rooms, a cinema, recreational spaces, laundry facilities and secure cycle storage.
Mr Blackley added: “With the University of Nottingham’s purchase of the HMRC offices, the Castle Meadows site, there will be an increase in demand near that campus and Lister Gate is a five-minute walk.”
The site partially consists of a Grade Ii-listed building and is wholly located within the Old Market Square Conservation Area.
There are two caves beneath the site which form part of a series of sandstone caves underlying Nottingham, the first being a former Second World War air raid shelter beneath the listed facade and the second a former cellar dating to the late 17th century.
In a planning document, consultants Freeths, on behalf of the developer Hunter UK Retail Limited Partnership, said: “Approximately two thirds of accommodation in cluster flats, appealing to returning students. This is a genuine ‘shared living’ alternative to converted family housing.”
The application was granted planning permission by Nottingham City Council on December 1.
The fact that it is going to be a mixed-use building with shops is excellent
Nelson Blackley