£270m student blocks set for approval

A £274m redevelopment of a major student accommodation site in Newcastle looks set to be approved this week.

- By DANIEL HOLLAND Local Democracy Reporter

Newcastle University began demolishing its Castle Leazes hall of residence earlier this year. The 1960s-built flats, in Spital Tongues, are due to be replaced by a much bigger housing complex which the university says is designed to help deal with an "immediate and pressing shortage" of student beds.

Proposals for the transformation of the area, near Leazes Park, are now set to come before Newcastle City Council decision-makers on Friday. The local authority's planning committee will be recommended to grant permission for the construction of two huge new accommodation blocks containing more than 2,000 bedrooms combined.

That complex would be built around five courtyards, with the housing blocks ranging between four and nine storeys in height, and would also feature a gym, a cafe, a cinema room, and study space. Opponents of the plans have claimed the development could "overwhelm" nearby listed buildings and place "undue pressure on local infrastructure and services".