22 April – Dominus has today received approval from Glasgow City Council’s planning committee for a 173 bed student housing scheme on an underutilised brownfield site in Glasgow city centre.
The tp bennett designed plans are for 173 studio rooms, 9 of which are wheelchair accessible, and 9,500 sq ft of amenity space including a cinema room, games area, karaoke room, rooftop lounge and external terrace.
The site, located on the junction of Old Wynd Street and Osborne Street, is within walking distance of the University of Strathclyde and Glasgow Caledonian University.
Glasgow has one of the UK’s largest student populations with more than 75,000 full time students attending its 5 universities in 22/23, an increase of more than 25% from 59,865 in 17/18 based on Higher Education Statistics Agency data. Research by Cushman and Wakefield revealed a student to bed ratio of 2.29:1, above the national average of 2.12:1, meaning that there were 24,973 students in need of a bed but unable to access one in the purpose-built student accommodation sector for the 2022/23 academic year.
The scheme will target BREEAM Excellent and includes a highly efficient building fabric and the use of Air Source Heat Pumps to reduce operational carbon emissions.
In construction, the plans will generate significant social and economic benefits including up to 290 FTE new jobs on and off-site and £19 million of GVA (Gross Value Added) impact annually. Once operational, the development will support up to 15 FTE direct and indirect jobs and create an estimated £700,000 of GVA impact annually.
The site previously received planning permission for a 165-key, 12-storey hotel, which remains live until 2027.
Dominus were advised by Iceni Projects who provided planning, townscape and heritage consultancy, and the architect was tp bennett.
Edward Law, Planning Associate at Dominus, said:
“We are delighted to have received approval to transform this centrally located and underutilised brownfield site, into 173 high quality studio bedrooms alongside 9,500 square feet of amenity space. Glasgow has one of the UK’s largest student populations with an undersupply of purpose-built student accommodation. This city centre site benefits from excellent transport links and being within walking distance of several leading universities.”
Nick Rutherford, Director at tp bennett, said:
“This development will provide students with high-quality accommodation and amenity space, including flexible study and social spaces, along with a top floor lounge and terrace offering views across the city. We have designed the building to purposely reflect the local heritage while creating a contemporary and distinctive counterpoint, contributing to the wider regeneration vision for this part of Glasgow.”
