Fifty retirement apartments earmarked for eyesore 'Pond Hole' site in Kirkby
A major scheme for 50 retirement apartments has been unveiled as part of the ambitious regeneration of Kirkby town centre.
The proposal is for an eyesore site on undeveloped ‘brownfield’ land, spanning 1.2 acres (0.49 hectares) to the south of Pond Street and east of Hosiery Street.
It is known locally as ‘Pond Hole’, dating back to its days when it comprised a quarry within a brickyard, and has been most recently used as a parking or storage area for HGVs and trailers.
Now the site has been earmarked for a three-storey apartment block, consisting of 44 one-bedroom flats and six two-bed flats specifically for older people over the age of 55.
All the apartments would be classed as affordable, and the whole block would be professionally managed by the Midlands-based retirement housing provider, Housing 21, with non-care staff on hand.
The scheme is part of the £14 million North Kirkby Gateway regeneration project, which is being overseen by Ashfield District Council and also features the proposed development of a former factory shop site on nearby Ellis Street.
A planning application for the Pond Street flats has been submitted to the council by the Nottingham-based property developers Langcroft Developments, which has appointed fellow Nottingham company, CPMG Architects, to lead the design team.
A statement by CPMG says: “The Pond Street site currently languishes in an essentially unmaintained state.
"It offers no discernible benefit to the local community. It is partly overgrown with scrub vegetation, and its street frontage offers only an unsightly boundary fence.
"It requires complete regeneration to provide it with a new lease of life and to allow it to contribute positively to the town.
"This redevelopment project aims to transform the neglected space into useful and attractive residential accommodation. It would be a high-quality development of contemporary, energy-efficient retirement apartments, providing desirable homes for older people.”
If the project is given the go-ahead, there would be 14 apartments on the ground floor and 18 on each of the first and second floors.
The ground floor would also contain a communal living room and kitchen area, staff room, stores, accessible WC and a charging room for mobility scooters.
Outside, there would be “a large, tranquil and safe garden” for residents, staff and visitors, other landscaping and 25 parking spaces, including three that are wheelchair-accessible, plus three electric-vehicle (EV) charging points. Access for vehicles and pedestrians would be off Pond Street.
Langcroft insists the site is ideal for new housing because it is within walking distance of Kirkby’s main shopping area, supermarkets, a leisure centre, a health centre, pharmacies pubs, cafes, takeaways, as well as public transport, with a bus stop on Pond Street and the town’s railway station only 600 metres away. The long-established Our Centre, which runs a range of community services, is also close by.
The apartment block would “make the best and most efficient use of previously developed land, meeting a specific housing need,” says Langcroft.
The council’s planning officers are currently considering the proposal and have set a deadline date of Thursday, May 7 for a decision or recommendation.
THE details of many planning applications can be found in public notices advertised by local and regional newspapers. To catch up on all the latest public notices, go to https://publicnoticeportal.uk/