D-DAY FOR UNI PLAN FOR STUDENT HOMES
‘Village’ will feature 715 residences, ‘hub’ and a park
HOUSING for more than 700 students will replace ‘dated and inefficient’ halls of residence at Staffordshire University.
City councillors were today expected to approve proposals for the new student village at the university’s Leek Road campus.
The plans will see 734 existing flats on the campus demolished, and 715 new student residences built on ‘amenity grassland’ off Lordship Lane next to Clarice Cliff Court. There will also be a village hub building, providing ‘educational, social and support space’ for students, and a new park on the site of the demolished flats.
A boardwalk and footbridge over the Trent will link the village with the rest of the campus. Concerns over potential flooding were raised by the Environment Agency but withdrawn after receiving further information, concluding that the plans would increase flood risk, but adding ‘the overall impact is small’.
Council planning officers are recommending approval.
Their report to the planning committee states: “The scheme would see existing dated and inefficient housing which is nearing the end of its economical life removed from an area of highest flood risk, and replaced with well designed, modern, energy efficient accommodation on land least at risk of flooding.”
It says: “The scheme has been designed to assimilate it into the wider context whilst also presenting as a modern, visually attractive, and high quality development. The scheme also results in an overall increase in publicly accessible amenity green space that will in turn deliver an increase in biodiversity and habitats when compared to existing conditions.”
The city council received only one objection, from the Potteries Heritage Society.
It said it had ‘some enthusiasm for this ambitious redevelopment’ welcomed ‘the high quality of the design and layout of the buildings’.
But it added: “We strongly feel that the overarching principle of the development – which proposes to build on existing greenspace on the east side of the river and demolish buildings on the west side for new parkland – is inappropriate.”
The new site is planned around four ‘cluster blocks’ and townhouses. In addition to the new village, there are also plans to refurbish accommodation at Clarice Cliff Court. Overall there would be a reduction of 18 student residences.
A new surface car park with 224 spaces will be created on the former Squires View site, accessible via Leek Road, replacing existing spaces next to the old halls of residence. The new student village would be mostly ‘car free’, except for 24 accessible and EV spaces.
The planning committee was due to meet at 10am.