Code appeals over refusal of £150m student scheme

A battle over one of Nottingham’s biggest student housing proposals has taken a further twist, after the developer appealed the council’s refusal of a 1,252-bed city centre development.

Plans to build two towers, including what would have become the city’s largest building, were thrown out by Nottingham City Council in December, after its planning committee said the scheme would create a “harmful precedent for future PBSA development in Nottingham”.

Code Students lodged proposals with the city council in 2024, around four years after purchasing the site, and after more than a decade attempting to find a suitable site for a PBSA development in the city.

The plan would have seen long-vacant land developed on Glasshouse Street near Victoria Shopping Centre, and would have created 1,252 studio beds for students on a site that has been empty since 2021 following the demolition of a four-storey office building.

But planning officers took issue with the scheme’s 100% studio approach, arguing that “flexibility” was required in the type of units provided, due to what they described as “volatility” in the student housing market which had seen vacancy rates rising in the city.

In a fiercely critical appraisal, they described the buildings as “bland and uninspired” and “lacking any local character”, arguing that the scheme did not meet the required standard for tall buildings in the city – a statement which is disputed by the developer in its appeal.

Now, the case will head for the Planning Inspectorate after Code lodged an appeal over the decision, with a ten-day enquiry expected to take place early next year.

In its statement of case, Code said the data sets used on vacancy rates in the city were “limited, caveated and lacked soundness”, while also disputing the city council’s claims over the design quality of the scheme.

It said its differences with the city council appeared to be “unreconcilable”, and accused planners of a reluctance to engage with them over design elements of the proposals.

“The site is in a highly sustainable location and would see the re-use of a prime and currently vacant brownfield site within the city centre, which has been identified as appropriate for being redeveloped by a tall building over many years. In its current state it adds nothing to the city, nor the wider townscape. It is unjustifiable for NCC to have frustrated delivery of a tall building at this site for well over 20 years,” they said in their statement of case.

“Providing PBSA will benefit the local housing market by releasing parts of the general housing stock currently occupied as HMOs. This means the benefits of the appeal scheme will not be limited to its residents, but also the wider Nottingham community.

“Overall, the appeal scheme would generate substantial economic and regeneration benefits, support Nottingham’s higher education and student housing objectives, and make a positive contribution to the vitality and attractiveness of Nottingham city centre.”

Nottingham City Council said it would be inappropriate to comment while the appeal was ongoing. Code Students was approached for comment.

Plans and documents relating to both the original planning application and the appeal can be found on Nottingham City Council’s planning portal using reference: 23/02062/PFUL3