An update to the update to the update.

Plans are now afoot to revamp the building in Orton Square which I discover is called Shahista House. Who knew? According to the Mercury the developers (Park Portfolio Ltd and Monkwell Ltd - who, a quick search reveals, are actually one and the same person) intend to convert the building into fourteen apartments, shops and a restaurant. This will be good news if it happens, although I see notice no plans have appeared on the council planning database yet. I'm always surprised at the workings of developers. They have received £150,000 from the council (in return for some improvements to another building in the area) and have presumably got some plans because they are talking about costs of £3m for the refurbishment?
The building has had a checkered history.  I think the first I was aware of it was in the 1990s when it was the "rave club" called Diehard or Dielectric. Happy House on one floor, hardcore techno on another. No alcohol but large quantities of water consumed (if you know what I mean and I'm sure that you do). Splendidly there is a website documenting this club (and it's subsequent reincarnations). See it here.

The building also housed a swingers club called G Spot. I took a photo of the sign back in 2008 and it was one of the most viewed photos on my flickr account. People most have been very disappointed when they googled "g spot Leicester"...

...although perhaps not as disappointed as anyone who visited the place. If this was the quality of their signage one wonders what the inside was like?

There is still a snooker club in the building (and a barbers) which has outlasted them all. Anyway, this will all be swept away (along with, I imagine boxes of flyers for long gone gabba nights, faux leather couches, a vast amount of pigeon debris and whatever was in that room at the top of the building which often had a light on...) and the building hopefully restored to what must have been an impressive edifice in the early 1900s.

5 Leicester Buildings I Will Buy When I Win The Lottery (UPDATE!)

It's been nearly four years since I wrote the last entry here and, incredibly, in all that time, I didn't win the lottery. However things have moved on for at least some of the buildings.

1. Friars Mill

Thankfully Leicester City Council bought what was left of this site for £550,000 and have redeveloped the site. You can see the difference...

Friars Mill Regeneration Project (Mat Fascione) / CC BY-SA 2.0

The (re)redevelopment is supposed to kickstart development of this whole riverside area and there are signs that this is happening. A long way to go though.

2. Hosier's house, Darker Street

Still empty and unloved as far as I know. Very sad. There was a flurry of activity last year around some similarly neglected buildings in Belgrave Gate which the owner wanted to demolish. Once again the council stepped in to prevent this but what will become of the buildings now?

3. Building in Orton Square

Still a snooker hall and occasional venue for a nightclub. Apart from that the building still looks in an awful state. Seems crazy that no-one has tried to do something with this place.

4. "Jeyes Garage", Belgrave Road

Still being used by a car washing firm, still deteriorating. I suspect art deco will never be fashionable in Leicester and this will eventually fall down. No one, not even the usual "heriatge" suspects seem to care about this one.

5. Stonesby House, Princess Road East

Better news about this one though. Developed (and extended) by James Sellicks it is now a collection of "luxury" apartments. The extensions are...OK but the house itself looks rather grand once more.