York St John University has put plans into motion to build new student accommodation on a former NHS site. The complex would provide 210 rooms for students in several new buildings. Officials say these rooms are very much needed during the current housing shortage and with the university growing its student population. Once completed, the flats would be available at a discounted rate in relation to market prices, which would make them accessible to lower-income students.
The new complex would consist of six interconnected buildings, each three stories high. The rooms would be divided into flats of four to eight rooms sharing kitchen and bathroom areas. The ground floor of the building will provide common areas such as study spaces and laundry facilities. It will offer parking for disabled students as well as storage for bicycles. The £20 million project is expected to be completed by 2025.
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The new accommodation will be located at Peppermill Court off Huntington Road. This location offers convenience for students since it is near to the university’s campus, the city centre and existing accommodation. The site was formerly used as a mental health facility for the NHS. However, when a larger facility opened on Haxby Road, there was no longer a need for the old 24-bed facility. The university bought the site for £3 million in 2020 before receiving approval to demolish the building last year.
Some residents have expressed concerns with how the development will affect the area. Since the new buildings are designed to be predominantly car-free, the development could potentially cause parking congestion in the neighborhood. Residents have also expressed concerns regarding noise from the new buildings from partying students. In addition, the accommodation is overlooking existing housing, which could cause privacy concerns.
With students facing housing shortages all over the UK, developers are working on building more student accommodation to meet the demand. StuRents estimates a shortfall of 207,000 beds all in all. This is due to a variety of factors, including universities expanding their populations and cumulative effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. The rise in inflation and cost of living has also caused rent prices to increase. York has had an especially difficult year, with three quarters of purpose-built student accommodation taken already. This is one of the many ways the recession is affecting students.
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