Developer on multi-million pound scheme suffers car park blow
The Greater Manchester-based developer of a proposed multi-million pound residential scheme in Nottingham has had plans to use part of the site as a 150-space car park for a year knocked back by Nottingham City Council.
Cheadle-headquartered Maryland Securities Group had wanted to use the site of the former Forest Mill, which it wants to turn into 325 flats, as a temporary car park for 12 months, after the previous planning permission had expired.
The firm said the revenue from the car park would go towards funding “very expensive” scheme.
In a letter to Rob Percival, head of development management at Nottingham City Council, Peter Wilkinson from Maryland’s agent landmark planning, said: “I am of the opinion that [the site’s] use as a temporary car park in order to support the long-term redevelopment of the site is not in conflict with emerging policy.
“Indeed, the continued temporary use of the site for car parking helps to fund the very expensive regeneration project that has been designed by a Stirling Prize winning architect.”
However, Nottingham City Council has turned down the planning application for the car park, saying it “would be contrary to Policies ST1 and BE12 of the Nottingham Local Plan and Policies 14 and 11 of the Aligned Core Strategy as, by virtue, of its location, scale and tariff it would be likely to be attractive to commuters.”
This, says the Council, would be inconsistent with the its Transport Strategy and would undermine the City Council’s sustainable transport objectives and “provides a disincentive to redevelop and regenerate the site which causes further harm to the appearance and character of the Conservation Area”.
Despite the knock-back, Maryland says it will press on with the scheme, which it has named Avitus.
A spokesperson for the developer said: “The planning application for the temporary car park is a totally separate matter. It is nothing to do with the proposed residential scheme which will not be impacted in any way by the decision for the temporary car park.”
Maryland Securities Group has submitted plans for Avitus, a residential led scheme which will see the transformation of a former lace factory site in Alfreton Road in the city to a major mixed use scheme of housing and shops.
According to the planning application, the scheme is expected to create around 650 jobs during construction and an additional 100-plus permanent jobs in various sectors while injecting £124m during construction and £26m from retail and other sectors to the economy.
