Student village plan for city

Mar 16 2009 by Tony Henderson, The Journal

PLANS for the first "student village" in Newcastle will go before councillors this week. The bid by Metnor Property Group envisages nine blocks of student accommodation totalling almost 2,000 beds in Shieldfield.

The development would also have shops, a cafe/restaurant, offices, health centre, 188 car parking spaces and an energy centre with biomass boiler.

The site is to the east of Stoddart Street and Portland Road and west of the City Stadium which is an area of protected open space.

The development site is a large brownfield area made up of three sites which were occupied by a car showroom, caravan showroom and the Berger paint factory. The site is in a derelict state.

There have been 12 objections, with a major concern that Shieldfield has reached student population saturation point.

The number of full time students in Newcastle has increased by over 40% from 2000/01 to 2006/07.

Schemes with a total capacity of more than 600 student bed spaces are currently under construction at Pandon Bank and Castle Leazes.

Planning permission has also been granted, or is minded to be granted, for a dozen further schemes.

These could give rise to around 2,000 or so new bed spaces.

But planners say that the proposed student village itself is well separated from the majority of existing residential properties in Shieldfield.

There would also be on site management of the facilities together with CCTV coverage.

“In recent months the council has considered a number of schemes for student accommodation in the city. This development is the most significant so far in terms of the numbers of bed spaces proposed and is the first student ‘village’ to have come forward in this city,” say planners.

They consider that due to the proximity of the site to the city centre and the universities it is considered acceptable in principle for student accommodation.

Councillors are being advised to back the plans on Friday.