Private property firm Charles Street Buildings Group is in talks with Leicester city council to bring forward a 650,000 sq ft mixed-use development opposite Hammerson’s Highcross mall in the city centre.
The proposals for the eight-acre Waterside site include transforming the former Leicester Central railway station on Great Central Street into a 100-bedroom boutique hotel and removing part of the disused railway viaduct to create small retail and leisure units alongside public open spaces.
The first phase of development would add 90,000 sq ft of offices and 20,000 sq ft of restaurants in two new buildings on the neighbouring one-acre Stibbe site on Vaughan Way.
Further phases could deliver an additional 450,000-550,000 sq ft of mixed-use space on a site that currently houses outdated industrial buildings.
Joseph Murphy, director at Charles Street Buildings, said: “Malmaison has looked at the site. It is a natural extension to Highcross, but we have not talked to Hammerson yet. Our consultants are working with Leicester city council to resolve the highway constraints.”
If negotiations are successful, a planning application will be submitted later this year.
The council launched a consultation on a new supplementary planning document covering the Waterside area in January.
