LEICESTERSHIRE
BUILDER Tel: 01530 244069 • Email: info@buildermagazines.co.uk • Web: www.buildermagazines.co.uk • APRIL 2021
Derelict hospital accommodation to become new homes £10.5 MILLION is due to be invested in buying over 170 derelict accommodation units and transforming them into muchneeded affordable housing.
Leicester City Council has approved the purchase of the 174 units of former nurses’ accommodation at Hospital Close, near Leicester General Hospital, so they can be converted into 154 new affordable homes for city residents. The agreement sees the city council taking ownership of the disused buildings from the University Hospitals of Leicester (UHL), so work can begin on bringing them back into use. The cost of the scheme will be covered using money from Right to Buy receipts along with some borrowing, the costs of which will in turn be paid back by rental income from the houses. Unused Right to Buy money is returned to the Government unless it is spent, so housing schemes such as this ensure the money is reinvested locally. Work is likely to begin on refurbishing and converting the units over the coming weeks, with the first of them likely to be ready for occupation from autumn 2021. The completed homes will comprise a series of three-bedroomed semi-detached houses, along with some one and two-bed flats. Some of the blocks currently have shared facilities, but these will be converted into the smaller flats. The next stages of work will involve detailed layouts of the new homes, and appointing a contractor for the building work.
Plans to transform former Debenhams into over 300 apartments submitted HAMMERSON, owner and manager of the flagship destination Highcross, has submitted plans to redevelop the former Debenhams store at Highcross, St Peter’s Lane, Leicester, into new homes for rent.
Hammerson has worked jointly with private-rentedsector specialist Packaged Living, who has extensive experience of bringing forward high quality PRS schemes, to develop the application. The submission follows a virtual public consultation which took place at the end of last year. The consultation ran for ten days and feedback saw over 80% of consultees supporting the proposed regeneration. The development, designed by CRTKL, would see the former Debenhams department store at Highcross transformed into new homes for local residents, as well as providing major improvements to enliven East Bond Street, where the entrance will be located. On completion, the scheme will provide over 300 new homes and an improved public realm for the city alongside bespoke resident amenities including a roof garden. Packaged Living, the bespoke build-to-rent operator and developer, has been appointed as development manager, enabling Hammerson to utilise Packaged Living’s in-house investment, development and operational capabilities. This project is consistent with Hammerson’s target to be Net Positive for carbon emissions, water, resource use and socio-economic impacts by 2030. In addition to supporting up to 800 jobs on site and in the supply chain during the construction phase, Hammerson has worked closely with Packaged Living to minimise both embodied and operational carbon emissions for the scheme and to ensure it is resilient to climate risk.