Plans to change Coventry student flats refused by city council

Many other student blocks are struggling to fill their spaces



Managers of a Coventry student accommodation block have lost a bid to change its use. Plans to let flats at Sherbourne Student Village to non-students as "co living" accommodation were refused by the council last month.

Axo Student Living put forward the scheme to deal with rising numbers of empty rooms in the building. A letter with plans pointed out the problem stems from unstable demand and is hitting other student blocks in the city.

Agents for the group said the large amount of unused space is an "extremely inefficient" use of the land and could ultimately lead to the building's closure or sale. They stressed the building would still be mainly for students if the council agreed to the new "flexible" use.

Their letter explained only unoccupied rooms in one of the scheme's four blocks would be rented to people not at university if the plan went ahead. The flats, on different floors to the students, would be aimed at recent graduates or long term travellers who could stay for up to three months.

But council officers were critical of the move. Their report stressed co-living schemes need to encourage communities and can do this through shared facilities like dining rooms and gyms.

Officers pointed out rooms in the block are "effectively self-contained" with ensuites and small kitchens, and the few communal spaces are on the ground floor, five flights of stairs away. They concluded this would be "inadequate" for the number of residents living there.

Planners also said the block's 18 square metre studio rooms would be "too small" for non-students for anything other than short term stays. They said said the three-month tenancy limit would not give people long-term housing security and the effect would be more like a hotel, which would not be allowed as the building is too far from the centre.

Officers concluded that the building's features mean it "would not result in an acceptable living environment for non-students" and advised plans be refused. More details can be found on the council planning portal via reference: PL/2024/0001817/FUL.

It should never have been built in the first place.
It's a massive over-development which totally blocks all light to the YWCA building immediately behind it.

Not enough students living in Coventry accommodation block leads to bid for change



'High vacancy rates' has led to a new bid to change a Coventry student block. Bosses at Sherbourne Student Village want to temporarily change the use of the building.

A previous application to allow non-students to 'co-live' at the accommodation was refused by the council earlier this year. But now a new proposal has been made to allow the building to be temporarily used to house both students and non students.

The new proposal says it wants the building to be both purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) and Serviced Accommodation (sui generis). This would last for five years and then the building would revert back to sole PBSA.

"It (Sherbourne Student Village) is located in a highly sustainable location," the application states. "The continued and increasing vacancy rate represents an entirely inefficient use of such a sustainably located site.

"Adopting the principles that have been approved elsewhere in Coventry, planning permission for temporary use is sought for a period of circa 5 years (until 31st December 2030). It is proposed to ensure that any permission remains temporary in nature via the imposition of a relevant planning condition."

It explains:

• It remains the intention to utilise the Site primarily as PBSA. Indeed, following the conclusion of the temporary period, the permitted use will revert to PBSA alone. This application is brought forward solely to ensure that the building is utilised efficiently and counter high-vacancy rates in the interim period
  
• It is envisaged that the type of occupier that would benefit from the serviced accommodation offer would be young professionals, particularly those that have recently graduated, as the accommodation would offer a low-cost option with similar communal benefits that students have come to expect
  
• It is similarly envisaged that the type of occupier that would benefit from such a room would be longer-term travellers, such as those travelling for work, looking for accommodation offering more services than a hotel but still over a temporary period
  
• The property would be managed by the same management teams as are in place currently, ensuring no adverse amenity impacts upon either student residents or surrounding residents;
  
• Tenancy contracts for non-students would be for a minimum of 3 nights and a maximum of 90 days, meaning that occupiers remain transitory in nature (student tenancy contracts would remain as existing, up to 52 weeks;
  
• The same services offered to students will be offered to non-students, including weekly cleaning of communal areas, waste collection, security, parcel collection and so on;
  
• Non-student tenancies will be no more expensive than student tenancies
  
• No non-student occupier will be permitted to utilise a private car (secured as part of the OMP)
  
• Allocation of rooms and use of facilities will follow the processes set out within the OMP. Critically, no student will occupy a flat with non-student occupiers in situ.

The plan is now being considered by planning officers and the details can be looked at on the city council's website by searching in the planning applications section for reference PL/2025/0001377/FUL.

So essentially they're just going to resubmit the same proposal over and over again until the planning department caves in?

Which they will!

This must be resisted. The developers used lax legislation to build these monstrosities; they must now stand the cost of their speculative follies.