Harington Students has received planning approval to convert Nottingham’s former Central Library on Angel Row into a purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) scheme. Nottingham City Council’s Planning Committee approved the proposals on 20 May 2026, after they were recommended for approval earlier in the year.
Will Aust Architecture submitted the planning application in November 2024. The vacant city centre building has sat empty for six years.
Scheme details
The conversion will deliver 162 PBSA bedrooms alongside shared facilities, two retail units and a hot food takeaway. The accommodation mix comprises 128 cluster bedrooms and 34 studio apartments.
Communal facilities are proposed on the ground floor and include a cinema room, meeting rooms, a common room and a small courtyard area.
Site and heritage
The site lies within Nottingham’s Old Market Square Conservation Area and is recognised as being of local heritage interest. It fronts Angel Row, wraps around towards Mount Street and has a rear elevation facing Maid Marian Way.
Council officers describe the Angel Row frontage as having an attractive brick façade above a modern ground-floor shopfront, while the rear of the building is more functional in appearance.
Planning committee view
Labour councillor Graham Chapman told the committee the scheme was preferable to earlier, more intensive proposals because it reuses an existing building rather than adding a large new block.
First of all this scheme is a lot better than the one that came to us a few years ago, which I thought was far too intensive, multi-storey student units. This is a conversion, and I think we should welcome that.
Cllr Graham Chapman, Nottingham City Council