Permission has been granted for the development of student accommodation blocks with 821 rooms in the Castle Street/Queen Street area of Belfast city centre.
The project will see the demolition of existing buildings on site for the building of purpose-built managed student accommodation with communal facilities including a gym, a cinema, meeting/study rooms and laundry rooms.
At the December monthly meeting of the Belfast City Council Planning Committee on Tuesday, elected members unanimously approved the construction of blocks of between six to nine storeys and associated shared/ancillary spaces with ground floor retail/retail service units, and additional short term use outside of term time.
The applicant, MRP NUH Ltd, states the building will be up and running for the 2027/28 academic year.
The site is approximately 0.6 hectares and is occupied by a number of existing buildings.
Fronting Castle Street and Fountain Street is the six storey building Norwich Union House which contains a number of retail units on the ground floor and vacant offices above.
To the rear of the building is a multi-storey car park, while on the junction of Castle Street and Queen Street is the four-storey Westgate House which contains retail on the ground floor and offices above.
Two smaller scale buildings of two and three storeys infill Norwich Union House and Westgate House, while there is a significant gap site along Queen Street currently used as a surface level car park.
None of the statutory bodies objected to the plan except NI Water.
The council received three letters of support from third parties, and no letters of objection before the planning committee hearing.
On the day of the committee meeting, the owner of the Fountain Street bar and venue Voodoo lodged an objection to the council regarding the application.
A council office told members of the Planning Committee: “They are concerned about the impact of Voodoo on the amenity of prospective residents.”
Council planning officers recommended the plan for approval.
The council report on the application states: “The site is a highly sustainable location within the city centre and close to transport links such as Grand Central Station and other public transport services.
“The application is supported by satisfactory evidence of need for the proposal. Following negotiations and amendments to the scheme, the proposed building is considered to be of a very good quality design appropriate to its context within the city centre conservation area and setting of listed buildings.
“The proposal will develop an existing vacant building and large gap site within Queen Street, introducing active frontages and supporting the regeneration of the surrounding area.”
Last month, a plan for four new student accommodation blocks of up to 18 stories at Great Victoria Street was approved.
At the November monthly meeting of the Belfast City Council Planning Committee, elected members approved the demolition of the existing buildings on the site and construction of a new purpose built managed student accommodation development across four blocks of six to 18 stories in height, comprising 560 student rooms.
The plan involves landscaped roof terraces, and associated amenity, site and access works.
The site location is at lands comprising the existing Fanum House, Norwood House and adjacent lands, 96-110 Great Victoria Street, Belfast, BT2.
The £42 million plan is by development company South Bank Square.
In September, Belfast’s largest ever purpose-built student accommodation scheme was approved, comprising over 1,000 bedrooms in a four block building in the Titanic area of Belfast.
Councillors approved the Titanic Quarter Student Village, a plan for a 1,007 bedroom purpose built managed student accommodation, consisting of 286 studio bedrooms and 721 “cluster rooms”.
The site will be on lands to the northeast of Olympic House, east of Queen’s Road and south of Belfast Metropolitan College, Belfast.
In August councillors agreed to an application for the erection of a 201-bed purpose-built managed student accommodation scheme and retail unit, at 41-49 Dublin Road and 3-5 Ventry Street, Belfast, BT2.
The building is planned for the site of Filthy McNasty’s pub and club.
There are two nearby student accommodation buildings which are operational, Botanic Studios at 78-86 Dublin Road and Vita at 27 Bruce Street.
More student blocks are planned for the Dublin Road area, with Queen’s University having successfully applied for a new accommodation building at the old Movie House cinema site on Dublin Road.
There is further student accommodation at the nearby Bradbury Place.
Despite the success of planning applications in recent years, student accommodation blocks still currently only house a quarter of the student population of Belfast.
To bring the full-time student to bed ratio down to 1.5, for students requiring term time accommodation nearly 5,700 new beds will be needed based on 2021/22 student numbers.