Apartment block rejected in Hull
Plans for a new apartment block near the Hull New Theatre have been rejected by Hull City Council’s planning committee. The 15-flat block would have been built on land north of Egginton Street in the Georgian New Town.
The site, which is currently a car park, sits between Egginton Street and Freetown Way. Access would have come from Egginton Street via John Street.
The car park is within the Georgian New Town conservation area, a part of the city with a distinct Georgian character. Both Kingston Square and the Hull New Theatre are just a stone’s throw away from the site.
The plans were discussed at the council’s planning committee meeting on April 1 where they were recommended for conditional approval. Councillors heard that the plans for the block had been revised since they were submitted to the council in May 2025. The changes included reducing the size of the block, resulting in a total of 15 apartments, whereas originally plans detailed 18.
A number of speakers voiced their objection to the plans. Three members of the Kingston Square Association (KSA) raised concerns such as the scale of the proposed block, a potential loss of privacy for neighbouring properties, and a loss of trees.
The leader of the Hull Labour Group, Cllr Daren Hale, also spoke in objection to the plans. Cllr Hale represents the St Andrews and Docklands ward which includes the Egginton Street site.
The councillor said he also spoke on behalf of his two ward colleagues, Cllr Fudge and Cllr Herrera-Richmond when voicing his concerns, which largely mirrored those of the KSA members. Cllr Hale sought to remind the committee that the KSA “is not a nimby association” and does support developments when they are deemed to be “tasteful.”
A speaker in support of the application told councillors: “Since May ’25, the applicant and his architect have done all they can to tackle matters that have arisen.” He added that the development was an opportunity to “enhance” the character of the area, and argued it would be an improvement from the existing car park.
Despite the application having been recommended for approval, councillors on the committee unanimously rejected the proposals. Cllr Alan Gardiner, who moved rejection, said he thought the apartment block plans represented “an over-intensive use of the site, out of keeping with the surrounding area, and would harm the character of the locality.”