Plans for student flats in Manchester have been rejected again despite the developer scaling back the scheme which has led to several local protests. The student accommodation proposed at the former Gamecock pub site in Hulme has been knocked back by the planning committee for a second time.
It comes after developer Curlew cut the height of the proposed block to 11 storeys and brought the number of students it would house to below 200. However, members of campaign group Block the Block say this is still too tall.
Sally Casey, who has lived in Hulme since 1969, spoke on behalf of residents from the Aquarius estate at the planning meeting on Thursday (October 20). She described the development, which would be taller than neighbouring residential buildings Cooper House and Hopton Court, as 'overdominant'.
She said: "We have already had our fair share of student accommodation built in the neighbourhood. "This is a residential neighbourhood and we've had enough."
Local councillors raised concerns about the proposed block restricting sunlight reaching apartments in neighbouring buildings and questioned the need for this particular type of student accommodation being built in Hulme. Speaking on behalf of the developer, Turley director Andrew Bickerdike said the scheme was reduced in scale following feedback from the committee.
In May, the planning committee was 'minded to refuse' the original application due to its scale and the lack of parking for disabled people near the entrance. The revised plans removed two floors from the proposed block as well as a podium level at the top set back from the main building making it 11 storeys.
A similar size scheme planned for the site was refused planning permission by the council in 2008, but this refusal was successfully overturned at an appeal. Nevertheless, this development which did not come to fruition was for 42 self-contained flats whereas the latest proposal would accommodate 197 beds.
Committee chair Basil Curley raised concerns about the quality of the flats, while members questioned the council's policy on student accommodation. But council planning boss Dave Roscoe said this 'clustered accommodation', where students have their own rooms and share communal areas, is standard.
He said: "This is not unusual. This is the way that students live all over the UK."
However, the planning committee was still concerned about the scale of the scheme and was not satisfied with the developer's plans for disabled parking. The committee was unanimously 'minded to refuse' which means council officers and the developer will have an opportunity to address the concerns.
Meanwhile, campaigners are working with architects to come up with an alternative proposal for the site, including housing and a community centre.
Read more of today's top stories here.
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