New plans to turn a Leamington nightclub into student accommodation will "remove a potential bad neighbour" and help "re-imagine" the street, according to a planning application submitted to Warwick District Council (WDC).

Ni Ann Ltd has put forward fresh plans to redevelop Smack on Tavistock Street just months after seeing a previous scheme rejected by councillors.

Last year the company saw its application to demolish the venue to make way for a block of 48 student flats rejected, with WDC's planning committee deciding the the scale, mass and bulk of the new building would overdevelop the area that sits just behind The Parade.

The latest application claims to have addressed these concerns, with the new designs incorporating the existing building.

A computer generated image of the proposed new accommodation block (image via planning application)

The application explains: "The proposal is for a new building at 5-9 Tavistock Street, retaining the facade of the existing two-storey building and incorporating it into [a] five-storey building containing nine purpose built student apartments, to be used as Houses in Multiple Occupation. 

"The apartments range in size from three bedroom to eight bedroom and all have their own en-suite bathroom."

Ni Ann said replacing the nightclub - which remains open - "will remove a potential bad neighbour from the locality" and help alleviate student accommodation issues in the town.

advertisement

It also says the new designs are "born out of a desire to retain the existing fabric and preserve this character, whilst securing a vibrant and useful future for the site". 

"The design acknowledges and celebrates the fact that the building has been remodelled numerous times to suit different uses over its lifespan," the application continued.

"Conceptually, the proposal is envisaged as a Palimpsest; a new, singular building for the site that proudly bears the traces of its past."

It added: "As part of our scheme we have considered how Tavistock Street could be re-imagined through development and what opportunities our scheme can have in setting a new benchmark for quality and typology."

See the full application here.

The application claims the new building will be a 'Palimpsest; a new, singular building for the site that proudly bears the traces of its past' (image by Nub News)