Green light for upmarket student block

PLANS for a £25m upmarket student block at Manchester’s First Street have been approved by councillors in Manchester.

Vita, which already has a student scheme in Liverpool, submitted plans for 279 luxury serviced apartments and a 1,800 sq ft commercial unit on the ground floor.

The First Street site already has approval for a £20m cinema and theatre building, an 11-storey 208-bed Melia hotel, a 10-storey car park and 30,000 sq ft of restaurants, bars, and shops.

Vita, which is aiming the 11-storey block at wealthy overseas students, said it will be the only accommodation of its kind in the city.

The company is owned by Mark Stott who founded Select Property, which specialises in selling properties in Dubai, and Chris Oakes of upmarket developer Huntsmere.

Mr Stott said: “There is a growing need for high quality accommodation in Manchester, predominantly driven by international students.

“With the city home to over 10,000 students from overseas, there is a huge demand that is not being met. Vita Student addresses this demand by delivering luxury, high spec accommodation that currently doesn’t exist.”

The scheme has been designed by the Manchester office of 5plus Architects.