An old clothing factory in Leicester could be knocked down and replaced with a five-storey complex of flats and shops.
Developers want to pull down Kocha House in St Matthew’s, to build a block of 27 flats and 10 retail units.
Planning officers are recommending city councillors back to plans to replace the 1960s building, in Malabar Road, at a meeting next week.
The developer said: “The proposed scheme has been prepared to provide a suitable new property that is not over intrusive or out of character.
“The proposal would see the erection of a mixed use property providing an updated modern building as well as a number of updated commercial and residential spaces.
“The proposal is to demolish the existing two-storey building and construct a building with retail uses on the ground floor and flats above.
“The proposed building would occupy the whole of the site and would not have any parking within it. This is in contrast to the existing situation where the building occupies the western and middle parts of the site and there is a surface car park on the eastern side that can take around nine cars.
“This application was originally for a six and seven-storey building with nine retail units on the ground floor and forty-five flats above – 19 x one bed and 26 x two bed.
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“The scale of the building has been amended so it is now a four and five storey building.
“The amended plans retain the retail uses on the ground floor – these have been reconfigured so there are now 10. On the upper floors are now twenty-seven flats – 16
x one bed and 11 x two bed.
“For many of the flats private balconies are proposed and a rooftop communal garden is proposed on the eastern side of the fourth floor.”
While planning officers have advised the project should be given permission, a 30-name petition has been collected raising concerns about a shortage of parking in St Matthew’s and the potential for more traffic as well as the impact on existing shopkeepers.
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One resident wrote to the council saying: “I have a shop in this building and if it were to get demolished I would lose my only source of income which is my business, therefore will not be able to sustain me or my family.
“Additionally this will also lead to my business losing all of its customers.
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“The people of this area already have problems trying to find parking and by adding 27 more flats and 10 shops this will make the problem worse and lead to further congestion in an already congested area.”
Planning officers have however argued the scheme is a short distance away from the Lee Circle car park but admit the area already has parking problems and the new scheme would swallow up an existing small off-street car park.
What the council says
A council planning spokesman said: “The city council parking enforcement use significant resources to address parking related problems that arise in this area.
“Double parking, parking on the footway and parking on double yellow lines has been witnessed by officers.
“It is therefore clear that the area suffers from existing parking issues and that the level of parking currently available is insufficient to cater for existing demand.”
However the council has suggested nine new on-street parking spaces be created at the expense of the developer Mr Patel.
The council says the scheme includes cycle parking and residents would be urged to use public transport.
The planning spokesman said: “It will provide retail units that will complement Malabar Road and make a contribution towards the need for housing in the city.
“It will provide a building of suitable scale and density, making efficient use of land, for a densely developed neighbourhood close to the city centre.
“There are concerns regarding the potential impact of the scheme on problems relating to car parking in the area.
“However, on balance, I consider the potentially harmful impact to be outweighed by the positive aspects of the scheme.”