CONTROVERSIAL plans to turn one of Southampton’s “iconic” buildings into a student accommodation “monstrosity” has been refused by city council officials.

Developers Lainston Brookvale had earmarked the former Blockbuster building in Portswood Road as a site to build a new five-storey building which would have 64 self-contained student flats and two retail units.

The old unit, which is next door to supermarket Waitrose, would have had four floors designated to flats, with an internal courtyard on the first floor.

Councillors and other representatives denounced the plans, citing issues with traffic as well as need for such a new build.

Now Southampton City Council has rejected the plans.

Cllr Derek Burke, ward councillor for Bevois, said he was “delighted” at the move from the city council.

He added: “It’s obvious accommodation is important but we don’t want an iconic building to be torn down – we want it to be at the heart of our community.

“The building should be kept as it is because it fits in well with the style of the street and it shouldn’t be replaced by some monstrosity of a building.”

The building has seen controversial bids to use it in the past, with Morrisons supermarket planning to build a store there. It withdrew its plans in 2013.

Since the application was submitted in June, dozens of residents added their voices in the campaign against the new build.

Waitrose also expressed concerns about overflow parking from the build taking up spaces for its customers.

Professor Chris Chapman, of Brookvale Road, said that with more student accommodation being built next to the Sainsburys site, the community would become “unbalanced”.

He added: “It has too many stories making it too high relative to related buildings, and the overhanging 1st to 4th floors would add to its obtrusive and over dominant nature, as would other design features.”

Resident Allyson Hayes said: “Has anybody actually looked into when purpose built student housing will reach saturation level? My understanding is that university applications are down, particularly from international students.

“If this occurs, there will be blocks of tiny studio flats with no parking facilities that few people will want to live in.”

Southampton City Council said it rejected the proposal due to its “excessive density, height, bulk and resultant massing in comparison with neighbouring buildings.”