One of Leicester鈥檚 most prominent regeneration schemes has had a key element of the plans dropped.
The developer no longer wants to put a rooftop bar on top of the former landmark Fenwick building on the corner of Market Street and Belvoir Street.
Instead it wants to add 10 penthouse apartments.
Plans were drawn up to create 111 鈥榣uxury鈥 serviced apartments after the historic department store shut two years ago.
Owner Aimrok Holdings gained planning consent to fit out the empty four-storey store earlier this summer.
They are turning the upper three floors into posh studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom suites, and had planned to put in a single-storey extension for a rooftop bar that would be open to guests and private members.
The apartments, they said, would be designed to 鈥渞eflect the short-stay durations and more transient nature of discerning business and leisure travellers to the city鈥.
The terrace bar was a key feature of the multi-million pound scheme but Aimrok has now said it has asked Leicester City Council for permission change the layout.
In documents submitted to planners, the developers say they have found structural issues at the top of the Grade II listed building that makes the bar 鈥減otentially not viable鈥.
Instead it wants to put the penthouse apartments where the bar would have been.
Leicester architects rg+p have drawn up artists鈥 impressions showing how the roof of the building will look under its new proposal.
Council planning officers are considering the proposed change to the scheme which still includes a ground floor bar, gym, conference rooms, start-up office space and a number of commercial units.
After Aimrok was given permission for its apartments scheme, managing director Andrew Crainey told LeicestershireLive: 鈥淥ur intention has always been to revitalise and restore this building so it remains a significant destination for Leicester.
鈥淲orking closely alongside rg+p, we鈥檝e created a viable and sustainable design which we believe will stand out in the modern marketplace.
鈥淲e鈥檙e extremely pleased with the successful outcome of this planning application and now look forward to commencing work transforming this much-loved local landmark.
Leicester news
鈥淭his building is of extreme local significance and we鈥檙e committed to seeing it sensitively restored into a vibrant place to live and work.
鈥淣ow we have secured a positive planning outcome, work will commence on the first phase, the ground floor and basement, as soon as strip out is complete.鈥
He said he hoped the first apartments would be ready by February.
Fenwick, which took over the store in 1962, closed it in Spring 2017 after the retailer said it had lost many of its customers to the Highcross and Fosse Park.
