'Hang your heads in shame'

RESIDENTS' FURY OVER CITY COUNCILLORS' APPROVAL OF NEW STUDENT BLOCK

- By JOE LOCKER

COUNCILLORS were told to "hang your heads in shame" after a new student block in Mapperley Park was approved despite a raft of objections.

A 113-bed student apartment block is set to be built on the corner of Magdala Road and Mansfield Road, where a two-storey car parking serving the Mercure Hotel currently stands. City councillors approved the plans, submitted by Proark and EjendomsInvest, at a planning committee meeting.

After the vote, a resident in the public gallery declared: "Absolutely disgraceful - you should hang your heads in shame".

Director of planning Paul Seddon said he recognised decisions to approve purpose-built student accommodation blocks had proven difficult and contentious. But he said the council's policy to get students out of family homes converted into Houses of Multiple Occupation (HMOs) and into the purpose-built blocks was paying off.

He said high rents for the blocks have started to return to levels not seen since 2021/22 - and recent figures have shown family homes were being returned to the market.

Roughly 200 residential and family homes are now returned to the market every year.

"I recognise this is difficult decision-making at times but your policy is starting to work," he told councillors.