// Debenhams store in Northampton to be redeveloped into student flats
// Debenhams in Drapery closed in May after the department store chain entered administration
A planning application to demolish the former Debenhams store in Northampton to build student flats has been recommended for approval.
Debenhams in Drapery closed in May after the department store chain entered administration, leading to more store closures.
The planning application was submitted to Northampton Borough Council prior to the closure to redevelop the building into 201 student flats.
READ MORE: What would Debenhams’ return on the high street look like?
The plans also detail a retail unit, cycle storage, rooftops, study areas and a gym for use by residents only.
These plans will be discussed by the council’s planning committee at a meeting on October 5.
Ahead of the meeting, planning officers who filed a report on the application have recommended that the proposal is approved as long as a number of conditions are met.
The conditions include that work has to begin on the site within three years of an approval and other considerations such as noise, asbestos, lighting and more.
To reach the decision to recommend approval, planning officers consider comments from the public and a number of organisations.
Four organisations objected, four made no comment and six raised no objections.
In a design and access statement, the proposal for the student accommodation outlined the lack of natural daylight in the centre of the building.
To combat this the developers plan to create a central courtyard by demolishing the middle section of the former retail store.
Prior to the closure, Debenhams had been a presence in Northampton since 1952 when it bought the Adnitt Brothers store in the Drapery, rebranding it in 1973.
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