Another 300 flats planned for derelict site near uni

ALMOST 300 new student bedrooms are to be built on derelict land near Birmingham city centre.

New plans have been unveiled to develop 280 bedrooms on the site at the corner of Dartmouth Middleway and Heneage Street.

The development would have a combination of 214 self-contained studios with the remainder of the rooms in shared flats with social spaces on the ground floor.

The proposed building, close to Aston and Birmingham City universities and the National College for High Speed Rail, has been designed in a ‘U’ shape of three blocks reaching up to ten storeys at its highest point.

It is expected to create ten full-time jobs once complete.

The application site, which is currently vacant, is in an industrial area of the city containing predominantly low-rise business units dating from the 1950s and 60s built after extensive damage during the Second World War.

During the Victorian period, it formed part of a larger area comprising the Caledonia Tin Plate Works, Excelsior Wire Works and a number of smaller buildings.

Documents supporting the application said the site had been the subject of redevelopment proposals but had remained vacant for eight years because extensive marketing of it had generated “little interest”.

The project has been designed by Digbeth-based D5 Architects on behalf of a private landowner.

A design statement accompanying the application said: “Given the site’s location along Dartmouth Middleway and its proximity to a number of higher education institutions, the site presents an ideal opportunity to develop student accommodation.

“The proposals seek to respond to the massing of the surrounding area.

“We believe the proposals are appropriate for the site given its position and believe they will be a positive enhancement to the existing street scape.”