Blaze rips through office building that has never been occupied

A long-disused office block in the Old Basford area of Nottingham was the scene of a major fire last night (January 22).

The blaze occurred at the Irwin Business Centre on Church Street, which has never been occupied since it was built in 2009.

Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue finally gained control of the fire at around 10pm last night.

In April 2020, Mehat Developments was given the go-ahead to turn the vandalised building in 24 flats, but work never began.

A planning statement read: “The building occupies a prominent position next to the train and tram lines and is one of the first sights visitors to Nottingham see when travelling by tram or train. The proposed development will remove this lot on the landscape whilst contributing to the Council’s housing supply by providing small affordable flats which are not aimed at the student market.

The site has been for sale for a number of years and planning permission was granted in January 2016 for conversion to 15 flats but the permission has not been implemented because the approved scheme is not considered to be financially viable.

Planning permission was refused in 2005 for the development of 24 apartments. The applicant appealed against the decision but the decision was upheld by the Inspector, who said the site provided a poor residential environment with the only outlook being over the railway or the adjoining garage, that residents would suffer from noise from trams and trains and that the design of the building was uninspiring.

Planning permission was granted in 2007 for a four-storey office building with ground floor parking and this permission was implemented. Although built it has never been occupied as the developer went into receivership soon after it was completed.

In Jan 2016 the green light was given for the conversion of the upper floors to 15 flats. This permission has now expired.