A city centre shopping arcade still faces demolition to make way for new homes, updated plans reveal. The scheme would see the Odeon Arcade, in Cank Street, almost entirely torn down.
Just the Art Deco façade on the Market Street side would be retained, with a new building constructed behind it with space for shops and flats. The scheme was first touted in 2023.
Under the original plans, 53 new homes and 10 stores would have been created in a new six-storey building. However, that plan was rejected by Leicester City Council in September 2023, with officers ruling there were a "number of significant and fundamental issues" which rendered the scheme "unacceptable".
These included unacceptable living conditions for future tenants, and a negative visual impact on both the Market Place and Cank Street, between which the arcade sits. Applicant Mr Almudaihesh went back to the council with a new proposal for the site in late 2024.
This again would have seen the building almost entirely demolished and a six-storey replacement again built in its place. Some 39 new homes were proposed under the 2024 plans as well as 13 new shops.
Approaching a year on and still no decision has been made over the future of the site. Updated documents reveal that demolition remains on the cards for the Odeon Arcade, however.
The plan for the site has been adjusted over the summer and again fewer flats are now proposed for the site. Under the latest iteration of the scheme, 35 new flats would be built on floors one to five of the new six-storey building.
These would be a mix of one to three-bed properties. The ground floor and basement level would house 13 shops.
The building's design would be modelled on London's Piccadilly and Burlington Arcades which feature large glazed shop fronts with painted timber or metalwork details, planning documents state. Higher shop ceilings would also add to "the sense of opulence and excitement of the new arcade", they added.
The pedestrian route through the arcade would also be "straightened and widened". This would help "avoid congestion and improve pedestrian traffic flows".
A central courtyard would also be created at the first floor level for residents. Additional outdoor communal space would be offered on floors four and five.
The plan also proposes to reinstate the ODEON sign onto the building "in commemoration" of its former use, styling the letters as window openings. The upper floors would be "sensitively staggered" to reduce the visual impact of the new development, documents add.
No car parking is proposed for the scheme. However, 56 cycle spaces would be available for residents, with an additional two for shop staff.
Mr Almudaihesh previously said the current four to five-storey building is rundown and contributes "negatively" to the wider area in terms of its appearance. He also said the shops inside are "often vacant".