AN £11million new student complex with almost 200 new flats is set to open in Southampton within two years.

Final planning permission has been granted for the Portswood House scheme on the site of a hot tub business in Swaythling.

Developer Urban Study’s plans, revealed by the Daily Echo earlier this year, will see 199 flats built in two buildings rising up to six storeys high from the site in Portswood Road.

Currently it is used as a showroom for bathrooms, showers and swimming pools.

The five and six-storey buildings will be linked by a glass walkway as well as having a cinema, gym and laundry facilities, while the blocks may be converted into ordinary flats in the future.

Residents living near the site had raised concerns over the scheme, which will be built opposite the emerging student flats complex on the former B&Q site.

One resident who objected to the Urban Study scheme had voiced fears the tall buildings on either side of Portswood Road would create a “claustrophobic, narrow canyon-like effect”.

He also described it as “inappropriate and intrusive”, while saying Swaythling was being “swamped” by students with the increasing number of developments.

However, speaking to the Echo earlier this year, John Freeman from architects Church Lukas said: “We’ve viewed this as a co-ordinated piece of townscape design. It’s not one side competing against another.”

Speaking after final planning permission was granted, Mr Freeman added that the new complex will “contain high quality student amenity space comprising a variety a lounge space environments, study rooms, communal kitchen area, laundry, cinema room and gym facilities. In addition the scheme will provide quality outdoor spaces and an amenity roof terrace accessed via the ground floor lounge area”.

He continued: “Urban Study are proud to present this project as an exemplar scheme which brings together the best in urban regeneration and high quality student living.

“The standard and variety of amenity space environments are designed to encourage students to socialise and study in a community environment which delivers the best of shared communal accommodation while affording students the opportunity to control their personal living and working environments.

“At its core This development is focused on delivering a high quality learning and leisure lifestyle experience for the students.”

Work is set to start on site in January and be completed by the end of April 2018, then opening its doors to students in time for the start of the university year in September.

It is one of many student flat developments being built in the city, with construction continuing on the 525-bed complex on the former B&Q site.

In the city centre offices in Cumberland Place will be torn down and replaced with a 12-storey block containing 198 bedrooms, while a £45m complex on The Bond site opposite will create rooms for 507 students.

Elsewhere, the former Buyology and Voodoo Lounge building behind Above Bar has been demolished to make way for an 11-storey block containing 283 flats, while work is nearing completion on a £28m development for 467 students in St Mary’s Road.