Another 500 new student rooms planned for city centre...

Flats and houses for more than 500 students could be built near Coventry city centre if plans are given the green light.



Gateway Land Limited wants to build three blocks of flats and 21 town houses on land in London Road, next to junction four of the Ring Road.

The flats - which would be made up of a ten-storey, 12-storey and 14-storey building - would contain 393 bedrooms for students, while the three-storey town houses would have 175 bedrooms.

Should the proposals get the go-ahead from Coventry City Council’s planning chiefs, then a number of disused buildings and one currently home to a tiling store would be demolished to make room for the new accommodation.

The plans also include communal facilities, bicycle parking, a central courtyard, and pedestrian and vehicle access off Paradise Street.

To view the plans click here and search for application FUL/2015/3153.

Coventry’s student population is booming thanks to its two successful universities.

Demolition experts are already making mincemeat of Coventry’s former Royal Mail sorting offic e as Coventry University and Barberry Developments are to create a £73million complex of 1,200 student flats and some shops at the site.

The university hopes the development will be completed in time for the 2018/19 academic year.

Elsewhere within the ring road, plans have been approved for a 20-storey student block to built on waste land at Belgrade Plaza, between the Belgrade Theatre and the car park, and for the former Allied Carpets store in Corporation Street to be turned into student accommodation.

The glut of student developments in and around the city centre, including the controversial cladding of the former Axa building, nicknamed the Tetris, has drawn some criticism while others point out it could lead the regeneration of the city centre.

Coventry is facing a housing shortage and Coun Ed Ruane, Coventry council’s cabinet member for children, has previously told the Telegraph that one solution is to allow the building of more student accommodation to free up family homes.

I fear we are putting all of our eggs in one basket with the Universities.

I'd also like to see some thought about the rising problems of the homeless within the city. Perhaps 10% of these student facilities ought be earmarked for our homeless?

I assume you have never been homeless with your children then .

I've never been homeless with children, but I've been homeless on my own. (Due to no fault of my own, I might add.) Did the 'proper' authorities give a fig? - No!

Unless you've been there you really don't (and never will) understand.

My question was for Flapdoodle, Rebbonk

I too have been homeless Rebbonk with 2 small children in the 70s mainly in a car I can sympathise with your experience also others . ☺