Dig these latest
NEW DEVELOPMENT SET
Reporter TIME was student digs were synonymous with dingy, damp flats...
But just take a look at how students will live in the latest accommodation block taking shape.
Built on the site of the former Newgate Shopping Centre in central Newcastle, those who move in will be living in luxury.
The 1960s retail landmark, long branded an “eyesore”, was pulled down in 2016 to make way for student blocks and a four-star hotel.
Now the Newgate Court student development, operated by the Unite Group Plc for Newcastle University, has opened its first show flat for potential residents to look around.
Due to open in September 2018, the block will have 575 beds in either shared or studio flats and also includes a gym, movie room and social space.
The ensuite rooms are in flats for between four and 10 people, with a shared lounge and kitchen area. They are priced at £114 per week for the full calendar year, and £123 a week for the academic year.
Studio rooms, meanwhile, will set prospective students back £160 a week for the full year and £175 for the academic year. They come with a double bed, a private bathroom, fully fitted kitchen/dining area, and work space with Wi-Fi. Accessible studio rooms are also available with facilities “that can be used with ease”.
The Newgate Shopping Centre – bounded by Grainger Street, Clayton Street and Falconer’s Court – was opened in 1969 but the majority of the units lay vacant. It once housed a boutique owned by Newcastle United legend Malcolm Macdonald but had long been written off as an “eyesore” before the council agreed it could be knocked down. Now the four-star Maldron hotel is rising in its place, and is due to open in January 2019. The 575-bed student development goes alongside it.