More students a burden or boost for Chilwell?
MIXED VIEWS ON PLANS FOR UNIVERSITY ACCOMMODATION
WITH hundreds of new homes planned for Beeston and Chilwell, opinion is divided on whether the town has reached “saturation point”, particularly with increasing numbers of university students living there.
Proposals have recently been tabled to convert the old Nottingham College campus in High Road, Chilwell into a new “student village”, with the developers saying “it is a proven fact that students are a positive contribution on the economy”.
They want to create 162 student bedrooms within the main building at the site, with further planning applications expected to be submitted in the future.
Just across from the college site, 250 family homes are to be built at the old Barton’s bus depot, known as Barton Quarter.
Agents marketing the site have compared it to a “posh London square” and the first phase has been to build 30 houses.
They said last year the properties were expected to be completed by the beginning of March, on the 10-acre site fronting Queens Road West, in Beeston, and Chilwell High Road.
People living nearby had their say on the proposed developments in the pipeline.
Alison Taylor, 47, who lives in nearby College Road and works in health care, said: “I think it’s good to develop the area.
“It’s good for the local businesses, students will bring money in to the local restaurants and cafes and bars. Especially after the pandemic.
“But I suppose for me it’s the worry about pressure on schools and especially traffic.
“Traffic at rush hour is really, really bad. The roads aren’t getting any bigger, and they shouldn’t.”
Ross Tomlinson, 73, a retired testing commissioning engineer, of College Road, said: “We’ve got to get the right usage of the building.
“My thought went along the lines of there is a housing shortage, it must be difficult for young people getting started on that.”
He added: “There’s an opportunity there to really take the pressure off the surrounding area.
“Perhaps we could have it as a joint venture that there would be housing for young couples trying to get started in life and elderly people who need probably sheltered accommodation.
“With regards to more students in the area I do honestly think we’re up to saturation point.”
Andy Tufnell, 37, of College Road, and vicar of Christ Church Chilwell, said: “It’s a lovely place to live. It’s
lovely being next to the school, the whole school have been brilliant – they have tried to do their best to ensure the neighbourhood is a nice place to be.
“It’s a mix, we have families up and down here – quite a few on this street.
“It’s a mixed demographic, we have a number of retired folk as well.
“This is not a particularly student area, mainly because the housing is expensive.”
He said he was aware some people were concerned about the proposed college site transformation.
But he added: “Other people have stronger feelings because they have more amplified past experiences with living near students.”
He added: “From us as a church, we are a community that is ready to welcome whoever is there, and is wanting to integrate into the community. Whoever it is, we seek to serve the community.”
Major plans have also been submitted to build 132 apartments off Station Road, between Styring Street and Middle Street, in Beeston town centre.
The flats form part of the Beeston Square development which also includes the town’s new cinema. People have also recently spoken out about the prospect of a Beeston nursery being converted into a house of multiple occupancy (HMO).
Speaking previously, Arran Bailey, managing director at ALB, which is behind the college site transformation, said: “It is a proven fact that students are a positive contribution on the economy. As of the study done by Nottingham University, it is proven that students bring a total economic impact of £677m into Nottingham and the surrounding areas every year.
“They also create 14,000 jobs within the area and each student brings a total extra economic benefit of £10,933 per year.
“Every shop we have spoken to on High Road in Beeston is really welcoming of the development and one described it to us as a ‘ray of light.’
“And by us turning this building into student accommodation this should free up some of the houses in the local area from HMOS to family dwellings benefiting the community as a whole.”
We are a community that is ready to welcome whoever is there.
Abdy Tufnell