Green light for student flats at ‘eyesore’ school
EMPTY VICTORIAN BUILDING WAS ONCE A ‘LANDMARK’
THE transformation of an “eyesore” former school in Radford has been given the go-ahead.
The Victorian Radford Boulevard Board School, on the junction of Ilkeston Road and Lenton Boulevard, was built in the late 19th century and has been vacant for years.
Now plans to turn it into student flats have been approved.
Residents called the building an “eyesore” and said it would be good too bring the site back into use.
Sam Hodges, 21, a University of Nottingham student who lives in Lenton, added: “I live nearby so I walk past and see it a lot.
“It’s in quite a bad condition and is a bit of an eyesore, even though I think at one point it would have looked pretty impressive back whenever it was built.
“If someone can get a use of it I don’t think people should be bothered if it’s students or not, but some people probably will.”
Work will take place to repair the facade and interior of the building and the 20th-century buildings to make way for the new development, creating accommodation for 158 students in three buildings.
Additions made during the 20th century like the site’s gym hall extension – which developers say detracted fromn the character of the original building – will be demolished and the interiors of other buildings will be refurbished.
Milly Foster, a 20-year-old University of Nottingham student, who also lives in Lenton, thought the building had character.
“I’m glad that it’s not going to be all knocked down to be replaced by something that looks like typical student accommodation and that they are keeping parts of it,” she said.
“It’ll be a good thing for the area as student accommodation always brings people in and, to be honest, there’s already a lot of students around here already.”
Retired Margaret Robertson, 73, from Radford, said: “It is a nice building and also takes up a lot of the other side of the street.
“I do not really care about who lives in there but it’s a good building and space for people.
“I’m fine with it being student accommodation as long as they are well behaved, but that really goes for any type of housing, not just students.
“Although it would make me happier if it were used to house rough sleepers or people who are struggling, but it being used is good enough.”
Last known as the Radford Community Centre, the site was put up for sale by Nottingham City Council in 2018 after it was deemed surplus to requirements.
Conservationists from the Nottingham Civic Society has described the school as a “landmark building”.
The project is a joint venture between developer Bmor, BITG and Sam Burt, who is behind a number of development sites in the city.
The application was granted planning permission by city councillors on December 2.
Speaking previously, James O’brien, head of planning at Bmor, said: “It seems fitting that the building has been used as a school for many years and will hopefully become home to students coming to the city. With more than 65,000 students in the city, we want to offer purpose-built housing that is top quality and provides a secure environment from which to study, as well as freeing up the suburbs for growing families.”