Planning bosses could shun £100m Nottingham skyscrapers

Plans for two of Nottingham’s tallest buildings could be set to be turned down by councillors over concerns over height.

Victoria Works, a £100m scheme by Code Students which at one point in its planning development was to reach 40 storeys, was downgraded to 19 and 27 floors in 2023 after a public consultation was launched.

Code said the plans for Glasshouse Street next to the Victoria Shopping Centre, if passed, would create 2,000 construction jobs in Nottingham and Victoria Works was set to provide accommodation for around 1,260 students. It would also include indoor and outdoor communal spaces, and around 5,400 sq ft of ground-level commercial space open for community use.

However, an email seen by TheBusinessDesk.com from a legal team representing Code casts doubt on whether Victoria Works will receive the backing of planning bosses at Nottingham City Council before it goes to committee on March 19.

The email adds that the council’s planning team has issues with the design of the building – including the height and the accommodation mix, adding: “despite the fact that this site has been designated by the council’s planning policy team themselves as a site suitable for a tall building since 2005 and that they have no policy in place to justify their position on refusing the mix”.

It appears that urban design expert Richard Coleman of City Designer was brought in on a 12-month project to try and persuade the council that Code’s scheme was viable.

The email adds: “City Designer spent the best part of 12 months analysing key views from around the city resulting in a circa 220-page document which justified the heights for the scheme were entirely appropriate. However, the council have refused to acknowledge our expert’s conclusions.”

Nottingham City Council has been contacted for comment.

When it launched its public consultation back in January 2023, Code said: “The immediate area around the development site currently consists mainly of industrial units and workshops. This development has the potential to stimulate the further regeneration of a key area of the city centre. Increased vibrancy and activity would also contribute to the creation of a safer environment, particularly at night.

“The proposed development would create over 2,000 construction jobs in the city alongside a small but important number of permanent long-term jobs in management and maintenance of the building and its facilities. We would work with Nottingham City Council to encourage people from the local community to apply for the jobs, and provide all necessary training, to ensure our management staff understand the needs and concerns of local people.

“Our development would also make a significant contribution to meeting student housing demand while freeing up traditional family homes.”

The building has been designed by East Midlands based Staniforth Architects.

Code has student developments in Leicester and Coventry.