Shrewsbury students' halls work is delayed

Shropshire Council and University Centre Shrewsbury have confirmed that they are reviewing the start date for construction work on halls for 217 students at the former Tannery in Barker Street.

The council had hoped to have the halls ready for the second intake of undergraduates in the autumn. Planning permission was granted in October last year.

But in a joint statement the university and Shropshire Council say they will be assessing the number of applications from students wanting to study at the institution before deciding when to proceed.

Student numbers are expected to reach 200 for the start of the 2016/17 year.

The 2015/16 intake of students saw 40 undergraduates and 40 post graduates join the university

The initial planning application, and a corresponding application for demolition of the Tannery, had been completed in time to allow the halls to be built for September.

The statement said: "We have obtained the planning permission to enable us to proceed with building the new accommodation at the Tannery site either this year or in coming years.

"We have also designed it so that the blocks can be built in stages or the plans can be realised in their entirety at one time.

"Based on information to date we expect a total student community of about 200 people to be studying at University Centre Shrewsbury, as of autumn this year.

"However, we are still receiving details of applications for places and whether they are confirmed or insurance places and awaiting examination results."

Councillor Alan Mosley, leader of Shrewsbury Town Council, said it would be sensible to delay the construction work until it was necessary. He said: "There is confidence that the university will be a major success. However, some of the initial recruitment, as with other new universities, is slower than forecasts suggested."