JRL Group and development partner Halcyon have secured planning permission to redevelop a vacant office building in Sutton town centre into a 359-unit co-living scheme, following approval from Sutton Council.
The project will transform St Nicholas House, a former 12-storey office block, through a combination of partial demolition, refurbishment and extension. The completed development will rise to 15 storeys, retaining much of the existing structure while adapting the building for residential use.
Designed by Assael Architecture, the scheme will provide 359 co-living homes alongside flexible commercial space, including café and co-working facilities. It will also incorporate a permanent venue for The Sound Lounge, maintaining a cultural and music presence within the town centre.
The proposals include approximately 1,400 sq m of public realm improvements, with landscaping and a new pedestrian route through the site intended to improve connections within the surrounding area.
Planning permission was granted under delegated powers after the council received more than 100 representations in support of the development and one objection. The retention-led approach is intended to reduce embodied carbon compared with demolishing the existing building and constructing an entirely new development.
JRL and Halcyon first presented their plans in June last year as part of their wider co-living development partnership. The two companies are also progressing proposals for a separate 329-unit co-living scheme on Woking High Street.
The Sutton project forms part of wider efforts to regenerate the town centre and civic quarter, bringing a vacant commercial building back into use while introducing new homes, business space and public areas. The planning approval allows the partnership to move towards the next stage of delivering the redevelopment.
