Student flats plan submitted for city centre

DEVELOPERS have submitted yet another plan for student flats in Cardiff – a 10-storey building designed to house more than 400 students in the city centre.

The proposal is for a series of flats each housing between four and eight students on the site of an old bowling green at Howard Gardens.

Plans drawn up by Crosslane Student Developments also feature study rooms, a games room, gym, foyer, media room, more than 100 cycle stores and a commercial unit.

There will also be some studio flats and disabled-friendly rooms.

Lisa Timberlake, development manager at Crosslane Student Developments, said the scheme could help the city meet an increasing demand for quality student housing.

She added: “Cardiff is a vibrant university city with four higher education institutions and over 50,000 students, and student numbers have been growing above the national average for several years, putting pressure on the housing situation in the city.

“The proposed development at Howard Gardens would provide further choice for students in the purposebuilt accommodation market and free up private housing for young professionals and families to rent.”

Each flat will feature a kitchen and communal living space.

One part of the building, facing Newport Road Lane, will reach 10 storeys.

Plans submitted to Cardiff council show the building with steps down to four storeys where it fronts Howard Gardens. Manchester-based firm Crosslane purchased the site, which is currently being used to store building equipment, from Cardiff council.

The commercial unit could be used to house a cafe for the wider public and could be upgraded and improved by the council as part of wider plans for the area.

The site is six minutes’ walk from Cardiff city centre and within walking distance of Queen Street railway station. It could house students from Cardiff University and Cardiff Metropolitan University, both of which have seen a huge rise in applications from full-time students in the past five years.

The plans are now open for public consultation and can be viewed online at www.crosslanegroup.com/howardgardens.