Rooms at Shrewsbury university student halls cut by 100 as anticipated demand is reduced
The number of rooms planned for new student halls in Shrewsbury has been cut by around 100 due to "anticipated demand", according to council officials.
The fresh twist in plans for new university halls in Shrewsbury means the project must go back before planning officers.
Under the new plans for the former tannery on Barker Street 120 student rooms will be created – as opposed to the 217 planned when the project was first unveiled in August 2015.
The council says the number has been revised down after detailed analysis of anticipated demand.
Shropshire Council, which is behind the project to provide accommodation for students attending University Centre Shrewsbury, has said the building will be ready for the start of the 2018/19 term.
The new proposal was backed by councillors at a behind-closed-doors session of full council last week.
The original plan, which was agreed by Shropshire Council's planning committee in 2015, had included three main buildings, each with four floors, housing 73 students, and a postgraduate building.
The new plans, which will have to be submitted to the council for planning permission, are for two accommodation blocks, with three units of retail and office space in the second block, and a connecting two-storey infill between the two blocks.
Council officials say the new proposals will provide jobs and economic benefit for the town centre.
Steve Charmley, Shropshire Council’s cabinet member with responsibility for assets, said: "The construction of two blocks of accommodation, with an element of retail, provides a number of benefits. It’ll enable us to continue to provide high-quality student living accommodation, and meet anticipated demand for retail in an area of the town centre deemed to be a redevelopment priority. It’ll also enable us to promote, protect and enhance the vitality and viability of Shrewsbury by investing in the council’s land and estate in the west end area of the town.”
Robin Morris from Morris Property, the construction partner on the project said: "We’re delighted to be partnering Shropshire Council to bring forward this new student accommodation and secure the future prospects of the university here in the west end of Shrewsbury – ideally placed opposite the university’s Rowley’s House site. This is an exciting project for our versatile building team and the retail element is a welcome addition to serve this end of town.”
Professor Anna Sutton, provost of University Centre Shrewsbury, said: "The development of the second site of UCS student accommodation in Shrewsbury will enable us to continue to grow and to house our students in modern, first-class residences, in the heart of the town centre. We are looking forward to working with our Shropshire Council colleagues in continuing to make the UCS student experience personalised and of the highest quality.”
Nat Green, Shropshire Councillor for Quarry and Coton Hill, said: "This development will be a great boost to Shrewsbury, both for students and for the town's economy."
Work began last month to clear The Tannery site so the halls can be built.
