City centre car park to become student flats

9:48am Monday 10th December 2007

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A HUGE student flat development is to be built on a Southampton city centre car park.

Two L-shaped builings containing 178 flats will be put up on the plot between Back of the Walls and Canal Walk, next to Saxon Gate.

Despite some worries about the loss of parking spaces the city council's planning panel granted developer Willan Holdings planning permission.

The site, on the edge of a conservation area, has been left undeveloped for more than 20 years after previous consent for offices, restaurants and a casino were left to gather dust.

Councillors were told by the developer that the latest scheme respected the line of the old city walls and had the backing of English Heritage.

It was also claimed more student accommodation would allow shared student housing in other parts of the city, such as the Polygon, to revert back to family use.

Nigel Dyer, from the architects Dyer and Sey, told councillors: "This is high quality student accommodation.

"It's studio living: a better area to work and live in.

"It's an ideal location to place this kind of building."

He said the five and six-storey flats would have a warden office staffed 24 hours a day.

The scheme will also include a café bar, 14 residents' parking spaces and 36 public parking spaces to offset the 80 or so that will be lost.

Labour Councillor Sue Blatchford said: "It does seem to be an excellent use of the site.

"If it eases the problems over student houses in other parts of the town that will be welcome."

Work on the site is due to start next summer. Construction will take about 18 months.