Little Holme Street, Leicester

Alder King needed to demonstrate how a substantial student accommodation development would integrate with Leicester’s historic city centre. Nicholas Pearson Associates was commissioned to create verified views, CGIs, and visual impact assessments to help Leicester City Council and heritage stakeholders understand the development’s relationship with nearby Leicester Castle and the Magazine Gateway Scheduled Monument. Working alongside Pearce Planning, we provided comprehensive visualisation support throughout the planning process for this 466-bed development.

Heritage Context Visualisation

How to show a 6-7 storey student accommodation block’s impact on one of Leicester’s most significant historic settings was the key question. The site sits within the setting of Castle Gardens and Castle Park, directly across the River Soar from the Scheduled Monument of Leicester Castle and Magazine Gateway. This proximity meant that every aspect of height, scale, and architectural mass needed careful visual assessment. The conservation considerations were complex, requiring clear communication of how the modern development would appear from key heritage viewpoints whilst meeting the pressing need for student accommodation near both Leicester University and De Montfort University.

Our Visual Assessment Strategy

We began with early consultation with Leicester City Council to identify critical viewpoint locations. Drawing on our experience with heritage-sensitive developments, we suggested initial viewpoint positions based on landscape and heritage assets that required assessment. This collaborative approach meant meeting the LCC planner on-site to discuss viewpoint details and confirm the final selection. We then refined our viewpoint choices using DSM data analysis and early-stage 3D modelling. What made this approach particularly effective was maintaining consistent viewpoint locations throughout multiple design revisions, allowing planners and stakeholders to track design evolution clearly whilst building confidence in the visual assessment process.

Technical Visualisation Solutions

Our technical approach combined three key visualisation methods to address the heritage sensitivity. We created Accurate Visual Representations (AVRs) from agreed viewpoints, ensuring precision in showing the development’s height and mass from heritage assets. These were followed by detailed CGIs that showed architectural treatment, materials, and landscaping integration. The Verified View Montages (VVMs) proved crucial for planning committee understanding, clearly showing before-and-after scenarios from the most sensitive heritage viewpoints.

Throughout design revisions, we maintained the same viewpoint locations whilst updating the concept visuals to reflect architectural changes. This consistency allowed planners to focus on design improvements rather than learning new viewpoints. Our 3D terrain modelling incorporated the River Soar corridor and Castle Gardens setting, ensuring accurate representation of the topographical relationship between the historic monuments and the proposed development. ECE Westworks collaborated closely with us on design refinements, using our visual feedback to optimise the building’s heritage response.

Stakeholder Understanding and Consultation

The visual materials became essential communication tools for multiple stakeholder groups. Leicester City Council’s conservation team used our heritage viewpoint assessments to evaluate compliance with conservation policies. The verified views helped planning committee members understand complex three-dimensional relationships that are difficult to grasp from traditional plans and elevations. What emerged through the consultation process was that our consistent visual approach built confidence among decision-makers, showing them that heritage impacts had been thoroughly assessed and design responses carefully considered.

Public consultation benefited from clear before-and-after comparisons that local residents could easily understand. The visualisations showed how the development would appear in everyday views whilst demonstrating that key heritage sightlines remained protected. This visual clarity helped focus discussions on legitimate planning concerns rather than uncertainty about the development’s appearance.

Planning Success and Development Delivery

The planning application succeeded, with visual assessment playing a central role in demonstrating heritage sensitivity. Our continued involvement throughout the design process meant that planners could track how architectural responses addressed their initial concerns. The approved scheme delivered 466 student bed spaces in studios and cluster apartments, meeting Leicester’s student accommodation needs whilst respecting the historic city centre context.

Construction has been completed, creating a successful example of how thorough visual assessment can support appropriate development in sensitive heritage settings. The project demonstrates that contemporary student accommodation can be successfully integrated into historic city centres when supported by rigorous visualisation analysis and stakeholder communication.

Please contact us to discuss how our visualisation team can help you with your next project.