Student Accommodation, Little Holme Street, Leicester

Project Description

A major new 6–7 storey student accommodation scheme on Little Holme Street, Leicester, delivering 466 high‑quality student bed spaces in an area of significant historic sensitivity. Positioned across the River Soar from Leicester Castle and the Magazine Gateway Scheduled Monument, the site sits at the heart of a landscape where modern development must carefully respond to heritage setting, scale, and massing.

To support the planning process, we were commissioned by Crown Student Living—working closely with Alder King and Pearce Planning—to provide comprehensive visualisation services, including Verified Views, CGIs, and detailed visual impact assessment.

Heritage Context Visualisation

One of the central challenges for the project was demonstrating how a substantial new PBSA building would integrate with Leicester’s historic city centre. The site forms part of the wider setting of Castle Gardens and Castle Park, where long‑established heritage assets dominate key townscape views.

Because of its location, even small adjustments to height, form, and façade treatment could influence the visibility of the development from protected viewpoints. Ensuring that heritage sightlines remained respected was essential for establishing planning acceptability. The visualisation work therefore had to clearly illustrate how the modern building would appear in everyday views across this sensitive urban landscape.

Our Visual Assessment Strategy

Early engagement with Leicester City Council (LCC) was fundamental. Working collaboratively, we identified a series of critical heritage‑related viewpoints requiring assessment. These included locations along the River Soar, Castle Gardens, and principal pedestrian routes where the development could be perceived against historic backdrops.

An on‑site meeting with LCC enabled us to refine the selection, ensuring each viewpoint captured the correct visual context and level of detail. We then used DSM data and early-stage 3D modelling to test and confirm these views. Maintaining consistent viewpoint locations through multiple design revisions allowed decision-makers to assess changes with clarity and track how the proposal evolved in response to feedback.

Technical Visualisation Solutions

Given the sensitivity of the heritage context, the project required a technically rigorous approach. Our visualisation package combined three core elements:

Accurate Visual Representations (AVRs)

Using the agreed viewpoints, we produced precise AVRs illustrating height, massing, and spatial relationship to heritage assets. These formed the primary evidence base for understanding the built form’s impact.

Computer Generated Imagery (CGI)

We supplemented the AVRs with detailed CGIs showing architectural treatment, materials, landscape integration, and façade articulation. These aided design iteration and stakeholder communication.

Verified View Montages (VVMs)

VVMs provided high‑fidelity before‑and‑after comparisons from sensitive heritage viewpoints. For planning committees, these montages proved invaluable in conveying impacts that cannot be captured through drawings or descriptive text alone.

Throughout the design process, we updated the modelled content while retaining constant viewpoint positions. This continuity ensured that planners could focus on design changes rather than interpreting new view locations. Our modelling also incorporated the River Soar corridor and the specific topography of Castle Gardens, ensuring an accurate representation of the visual relationship between the proposed development and the historic setting.

Close collaboration with ECE Westworks supported architectural refinement, with our visuals helping guide heritage‑sensitive adjustments to massing, articulation, and overall townscape response.