Revitalising Nottingham’s Former Police and Fire Station

The proposals will provide a total of 566 new bed spaces. This will be split between:

Vita Studios will provide 249 studios in a refurbished former police and fire station building, with ground floor amenity space accessed through a new lobby on Shakespeare Street. The studios will range in size from 16m2 to over 20m2 to accommodate additional accessibility needs.

Vita’s House of Social offer will deliver 317 bed spaces with shared living spaces within a new building constructed in the former drill yard. The student entrance to House of Social will be via a new entry building constructed on South Sherwood Street, north of the 1880’s police and fire station.

The University of Nottingham and Nottingham Trent University are two nationally leading universities, which enrol a combined circa. 80,000 students.

To help alleviate a lack of housing supply in Nottingham, the City Council is encouraging the provision of Purpose Built Student Accommodation (PBSA) to house students, which will allow students to rely less on Homes of Multiple Occupation (HMOs). This will allow more homes to become family housing.

Vita’s House of Social offer will help accelerate this trend, because it replicates the shared living spaces students currently seek in the private rental market.

This latest planning application will retain and refurbish the Former Police and Fire station, after the Government’s decision to grant Grade II listed status in January 2023. 

Additionally, the proposals now include a new 18 storey building in the former drill yard to accommodate Vita’s House of Social and foodhall offer.

Overall, there has been a reduction in the number of bed spaces provided, which is now 566.

The 1880’s former police and fire station will be retained, except a small lean-to which will be demolished. This is not a part of the original building.

Similarly, there is a single-storey lean-to in the former drill yard, which is not an original part of the 1930’s police and fire station and will be demolished. This will accommodate for the new building containing House of Social and the foodhall, and the student courtyard.

Additionally, a rear portion of the Guildhall facing into the former drill yard will be demolished. This is not a part of the original building.

This planning application does not cover the Guildhall. Several different options are being explored to revitalise this building including potential education use in the future. This will be subject to a separate planning application in the future.

The development does not provide on-site parking due to the close proximity of the site to university buildings and facilities. To help facilitate active travel uses, the proposals include secure bicycle storage areas.

At the entrance to Vita Student on Shakespeare Street, a lay-by will be installed to facilitate drop-offs, collections and deliveries.

For House of Social and the foodhall, there will be a vehicular route around the Guildhall building accessed from Burton Street and exiting onto South Sherwood Street.

Vita Group and both local universities have extensive experience managing move-in and move-out days every year and will put in place a strategy each year to manage this effectively and minimise any disruption.