Appeal launched into converting large vacant office block in Northampton town centre after council failed to issue decision
An appeal looking into an application to convert a large vacant former office block in Northampton into 51 flats has begun, after the council failed to issue a decision on time.
Plans were unveiled to repurpose Sol House, in Northampton town centre, into an apartment block in April 2024. The five-storey property sits on St Katherine’s Street, opposite the Sol Central leisure complex which is home to a Vue cinema, Ibis Hotel and gym.
West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) was supposed to give developer Regent Portfolio Limited a decision on the residential complex in August last year, however there is no evidence of the council’s conclusion on the plans.
A series of responses from statutory consultees such as WNC highways and heritage teams have been noted, with the last document uploaded in July 2024. No serious concerns or objections were raised, but it did request more information on where and how waste from the apartments would be stored.
According to a Freedom of Information (FOI) request submitted to the council, the number of appeals against non-determination of plans has risen year on year since the unitary authority was created.
In 2021, WNC reported that out of 77 planning appeals, just one was against non-determination. In 2024, that number rose to 16 out of a total 84 planning appeals lodged that year.
If built, according to proposals, the building would house 45 one-bed flats and six two-bed units. Documents state that all of the apartments would be offered at market rates and that there would be no social housing provision.
Due to its size, the council’s parking standards would require 57 parking spaces on site. Regent Portfolio Limited suggested it would be able to provide just 19 spaces.
Developers argued that the shortfall could be justified as the site is “highly sustainable lying on the edge of the heart of the town centre and on a bus route”.
The planning inspector’s review kicked off at the beginning of this month, and final comments from interested parties will be due on April 24. The planning inspector has not given a target date for a decision as of yet.