University students' housing approved for centre of Shrewsbury
New flats and apartments will house up to 85 university students in the heart of Shrewsbury after plans were approved.
University Centre Shrewsbury students will live in newly-created accommodation inside Mardol House, an office block which sits next to the town's market hall.
An influx of students is expected when undergraduate courses start in September.
The plans were unanimously approved by members of Shropshire Council's central planning committee at a meeting yesterday.
Councillors described the scheme as "sensitive" and "carefully planned".
Students based at Mardol House will live within walking distance of the Guildhall and Rowley's House, which will both be used by staff at the new university for lectures and as office space.
The Mardol House apartments are the first plans for dedicated student accommodation serving the new university to gain planning consent.
Shropshire Council is also inviting expressions of interest in developing up to 800 new-build accommodation units over the next three years for the students.
The upper floors of Mardol House, above the Blacks store, will be developed into nine self-catering flats with five or six en-suite bedrooms for 49 students and studio apartments for another 36, including four adapted for people with disabilities.
It comes a week after it was announced rules would be drawn up to prevent students taking over parts of Shrewsbury amid fears areas of the town would become dominated by youths living in shared rented houses.
Councillor Andrew Bannerman, Shropshire councillor for the Quarry and Coton Hill ward which includes the town centre, spoke in favour of the plans at yesterday's meeting.
He said: "This has been very carefully prepared by the university. We've had lots of discussions in the town centre and the university had an open evening.
"It's a sensitive scheme and safeguards are in place to cover most of the anxieties raised over noise and other issues."
Postgraduate courses at the new university started before Christmas. The university is linked to Chester University, but there are hopes it could become a standalone institution within the next few years.
