Hundreds of student flats could be built in Glasgow city centre after a developer launched a third bid to replace offices.
Artisan Real Estate has already secured permission to knock down the office building at 292 to 298 St Vincent Street to provide a 248-bed hotel or 248 serviced apartments.
It has now revealed plans to create a 321 studio student accommodation complex at the junction of St Vincent Street and Pitt Street.
Read more: Four-year-old with chickenpox diagnosed with cancer after complaining about 'sore body'
Student accommodation provider Homes for Students has been selected as the operator for the site.
The developers said the new proposal has been submitted to the council as a “restriction imposed on the occupancy” of the apartments plan “meant that it could not be funded in the current climate”.
They had previously said the four-star hotel scheme was pulled due to “the impact of Covid-19 on the hospitality sector”. That plan had been approved in April 2020 while the serviced flats project received the green light just two weeks ago.
Artisan’s latest application stated: “The new proposal will work within the general building envelope and massing of the previously consented schemes for hotel and co-living uses on the site.
“The new planning application for a student accommodation building essentially follows the same design of the proposed hotel scheme with regards to the external envelope, detailed design and materials of the elevation and roof, with some slight variations to the massing at two locations.”
There would be “minor changes” to the proposed building, including “an increased setback between levels seven and eight on the south elevation”.
The application added a demand assessment found although Glasgow has “an established purpose-built student accommodation market, it does not provide the amount of good quality accommodation required to house Glasgow’s students with 73.68% of students (57,202) having to find accommodation outside of this purpose-built sector”.
This is “mostly in the private rented sector in Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs), which puts further pressure on the residential market”.
“Given the general increasing population of students in the UK and the continued growth of student numbers in Glasgow, the challenge of finding homes for this student population will continue to increase and continue to put pressure on the private rented sector,” the plans continued.
“Having tested the market for both hotel and co-living, Artisan Real Estate recognised the widely publicised demand for student accommodation to service the various further and higher education institutions of Glasgow and partnered with Homes for Students to propose high quality student accommodation to meet the needs of the city.”
READ NEXT -
Lanarkshire nursery staff threaten strike action over 'fire-and-rehire' plans by council
Glasgow cake shop owner loses seven stone and 'changes her life'
Glasgow postman is stalker who hounded women on his rounds for years
Mourners asked to wear 'touch of green' at funeral of Evan Reid in tribute to young dad
Greenock carer caught overcharging vulnerable man for online orders to make profit for himself
