Plans for student flats get green light
900-BED SCHEME GIVEN GO-AHEAD DESPITE FEARS OVER HISTORIC FIRE STATION
PLANS for nearly 500 new student and graduate flats have been agreed for land near Vimto Park, despite claims they will ‘completely dominate’ London Road Fire Station.
Three blocks of up to 25 storeys, off Granby Row and Echo Street, will house ‘co-living’ space – shared apartments with all-inclusive bills – for people studying or who have recently left university.
Student accommodation developer IQ says it will be the first scheme of its type in the country and also plans to invest £800,000 in improving the surrounding area, including around the edge of the park.
The move - which will see the existing 1960s-built Chandos halls of residence demolished - was agreed at a planning meeting despite some concerns raised about its impact on nearby listed buildings and heritage.
Resident Martin Browne, a city centre Liberal Democrat candidate at the local elections, said he welcomed revisions to the application that meant none of Vimto Park would be lost, but warned it would be ‘quadruple’ the height of the nearby fire station.
Responding to the concerns, planning officer Dave Roscoe said the fire station was ‘robust’ enough to take the new block nearby, echoing the overall view of Historic England.
The heritage body had said it did not believe the proposals would be ‘harmful’ to the station or the nearby viaduct.
Some councillors raised questions about the type and size of housing to be included in the 900bed scheme, which IQ describes as targeting ‘graduates and young professionals by providing a diverse range of accommodation options within the city centre.’
The flats – which would include rent, wi-fi, room cleaning, utilities and council tax in one monthly payment – would also be more affordable than many of the other housing currently on offer in the area, it says.
According to the application documents, they will be aimed at people earning between £20,000 and £39,000 a year. Supporting the proposal, Mr Roscoe added there is a ‘shortage of accommodation for recent graduates in the city centre’ at present.
The planning committee approved the application, which sits next to a number of forthcoming major regeneration projects, including the Mayfield depot and Manchester University’s North Campus.
Councillors also granted plans for a new restaurant in the centre of Rusholme’s Curry Mile, despite fears from neighbours it could end up becoming a shisha cafe.
The former ATS garage on Wilmslow Road had temporarily opened up as a shisha bar called Purples without permission last summer, prompting a flood of complaints from residents and claims that it was attracting boy racers late into the night, turning the area into a ‘race track.’
After the council shut that down, a new applicant then applied for permission to open a permanent restaurant on the site.
The planning department said it felt enough mitigation - including earlier opening hours, conditions and a ‘customer management plan’ - had been taken to ensure the application was acceptable.