£40m student accommodation scheme poised for the go ahead

COUNCILLORS are poised to give the go-ahead to a £40m student accommodation scheme on the fringe of the city centre.

The scheme, submitted to the city council by accommodation provider Unite Students, involves the demolition of warehousing off Staniforth Street, close to Lancaster Circus, and its replacement with the new development providing almost 600 student beds.

The facility is needed to serve students at both Birmingham City and Aston Universities, where there is a chronic shortage of accommodation.

Both universities have said that if they are to continue to attract high level students then they must have the facilities to serve them, and currently they do not.

A report to today’s planning committee states that the development would be well located for the universities and could be accommodated without any adverse impact on the surrounding area.

“The scale, massing and architecture of the development as now proposed is considered to be of a high quality and appropriate for the location and would not have an adverse impact on the setting of adjacent sites or developments,” states the report.

Unite Students acquired the site (below) in May and it said the project was expected to achieve returns in line with its target for regional development. The scheme is anticipated to be completed in 2019.

The project will be funded by internally generated sources.

The development is adjacent to an operational Unite building and will increase the number of Unite beds in Birmingham to around 3,300 across five properties.

Richard Simpson, managing director of property for Unite Students, said the site met the company’s criteria for growth and investment returns in what was a strong, regional location.
 
“Birmingham is a thriving university city and home to four Higher Education providers, offering a wide range of highly respected courses. When complete, the new property will provide a safe and secure home for the growing number of students attracted to Birmingham,” he said.

Cooley Architects has designed the building. It said the design had been driven by “a desire to express the heating and cooling of the industrial process for which Birmingham is famous, as a metaphor for the university experience”.

“The cool metallic facade therefore is animated by a fiery dash of colour which leaps from the face of the building in metal fins,” it added.

“The building is strong on amenity space with a large choice of different internal and external spaces at ground and roof level.”