Student flats plan

City centre bid submitted

Student flats could be built behind a Stirling city centre restaurant.

Mark Crawford has submitted a planning application to demolish a storage building and make alterations to restaurant plus build six student flats on land behind 21 Dumbarton Road East.

The flats would be classified as HMOs (Houses in Multiple Occupation) and would have room for a total of 23 beds.

Architects have told council planners: “The site previously had planning permission for the erection of a very similar building for six two-bedroom flats.

“Due to the deterioriation of the property market and poor economic situation at that time the project had to be shelved. The building footprint and height [of the latest application] closely relate to the previous approval.

“Demand for this type of student housing in Stirling is extremely high. The applicant is working closely with Bastion Property Management who presently operate the existing Midpoint Apartments student residences in Douglas Street, Stirling. Our provision in terms of bedroom and living area size and layout is identical to that provided at Midpoint.

“Bastion have confirmed that these apartments have had 100 per cent occupancy levels during the 10 years since they were opened and that in the Stirling area demand for this type of accommodation outstrips supply.

“The existing storage area is underused and surplus to the restaurant. Its appearance is pretty unsightly and demolition and erection of this new building will hopefully much improve the townscape within this important city centre location.”

Original plans approved in 2008 to demolish an existing building, alter Papa Joe’s restaurant and build six flats attracted two letters of objections from neighbours in Allan Park over concerns about loss of privacy to rear gardens and existing residential properties.

At that time, however, council planners, who recommended conditional approval, said: “The objectors’ property is detached and subdivided into flats.

Residents therefore already overlook the rear garden ground. Furthermore there are flats above the commercial units in Dumbarton Road which have views over their rear garden already.

“As with many in-fill, brownfield developments, there is generally an impact on existing surrounding properties. It is considered the merits of achieving residential development on a brownfield site within the city centre outweigh the amenity issues raised by objectors.”