Six-story development off Ferensway
South Yorkshire-based DBG Group plans to demolish the former nightclub and construct a six-story mixed-use building, according to Insider Media. The site has been derelict for more than 20 years.
Most of the homes would be one-bedroom apartments, with 138 proposed. The remaining homes would comprise five studios, 16 two-bedroom apartments and five three-bedroom apartments. Place Yorkshire reports that the four commercial units would occupy the ground floor.
The site is about 200 meters from Hull's transport interchange. Ferensway lies to its west, North Street to its south and Spencer Street to its north; the former Shirethorn Centre, now City Point, is to the east.
DBG Group is also converting Hull's former Debenhams building in the city center into housing, according to Place Yorkshire.
Discounts, parking and environmental measures
The proposal could include homes sold through the First Homes scheme, offering first-time buyers and key workers a discount of at least 30% from market value. Use of the scheme has not been confirmed.
Parking provision would vary by apartment size. For one-bedroom homes, the proposed ratio is one space for every five apartments, with a higher allocation for larger homes.
Planning officers consider noise and air quality concerns manageable with appropriate mitigation measures, the Local Democracy Reporting Service reported. The plans also call for three locally sourced native trees to be planted for every new home. Planning documents say the planting would help limit air pollution and noise, manage flood risk and create wildlife habitats.
In their report supporting approval, council planners said the project would create employment opportunities and help meet identified housing needs and increased housing targets by adding city-center homes. They also cited investment, greater foot traffic and more spending locally as economic benefits, according to Insider Media.
Two earlier redevelopment approvals went unused
Before becoming Circus Circus, the venue was known as Monroe's. It reopened under the Circus Circus name in June 1995 following a £500,000 refit by Tetley Pub Company, according to the Hull Daily Mail. It operated for about a decade before closing in the mid-2000s.
The former nightclub has since been damaged by vandalism and fires, Insider Media reported.
The current application follows two redevelopment proposals that received permission but were not carried out. In 2010, permission was granted to demolish the nightclub and build Trinity Tower, a seven-story block. A larger plan approved in 2021 would have provided 249 apartments and six ground-floor retail units, according to Place Yorkshire, but that approval also went unused.
