Plan for 91 flats in Leicester city centre rejected. Council cites lack of light and inadequate living conditions.
Someone wanted to turn an office into apartments. The plan included 91 new homes near the train station. There would be studios, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom flats. Studios combine living, sleeping, and kitchen areas.
The city council rejected the plan for Arnhem House. They won’t allow the office to change into housing. Planners called some flats “gloomy” and “bleak.”
They said the flats lacked enough natural light. Some windows would create a gloomy living space. The outlook would be bleak, officers stated. One studio had a narrow window in the room’s corner. The top floor lacked windows to be habitable.
The applicant, UKI Charitable Foundation, sought to add windows. Officials said planning rules can’t guarantee the work. The council could not prevent people moving into windowless units.
There were also worries about storage space. Some new homes lacked adequate storage. City officers said these homes didn’t meet national standards.
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