‘Heritage homes’ for historic factory site praised by councillors
A DEVELOPMENT of 207 homes on the historic Boots factory site in Beeston will be designed to reflect the heritage of the area.
Gracemachin Planning and Property submitted the proposals for 96 houses and 111 apartments on behalf of Ilke Homes Land Limited, and they were unanimously approved during a Nottingham City Council planning meeting on Wednesday.
The 96 “modular” houses will be pre-built in a factory in Knaresborough, North Yorkshire, before being installed on the site in Thane Road, next to the Nottingham and Beeston Canal.
While the apartment buildings will not be modular, they will draw inspiration from 1930s buildings such as the Drys Factory (now known as D6), which was designed by Sir Owen Williams.
The building was responsible for the manufacturing of “dry” goods such as tablets and pills, and is today Grade I-listed and used by Medicity as a laboratory.
Labour Councillor Graham Chapman, vice-chairman of the committee, said he was “very fond” of the development, particularly the inspiration taken from the company’s heritage.
However, Meadows Labour’s Councillor Michael Edwards, the chairman, questioned just how much reference had been used from the original building.
Council officer Nigel Turpin said: “They are high-quality heritage buildings. The new builds, the new apartments still take references from those buildings but probably in a contemporary manner. All in all, I think the references are there although, like I say, not slavishly following the original 1930s buildings.”
Outline planning permission was conditionally approved at a planning committee meeting in December 2014 for a mixed-use development of offices, research developments, retail outlets and up to 675 homes in total.
This typically means a development can go ahead in principle but that more detailed plans must be submitted. A corresponding application has been submitted to Broxtowe Borough Council for a further 397 homes within its administrative area.