Liverpool City Council planners recommend approval for new student living scheme in the Fabric District despite admitting the up-and-coming area already has ‘too much student accommodation’. Tony McDonough reports
Liverpool council planners are recommending approval for a 75-bed student scheme in the city’s Fabric District despite admitting the area already has “too much student accommodation”.
Molyneux Developments secured consent to build a 99-bed £12m student accommodation block in Gildart Street off London Road in November 2024. However, changing fire regulations has necessitated a redesign.
This latest version of the project comprises 75 bedspaces in 15 studios and 10 six-bed ‘cluster flats’. There will be a 1,100 sq ft commercial unit on the ground floor as well as a gym, workspaces, a cinema, a roof terrace and cycle storage.
An operator, Vivo Living, has been lined up by Molyneux to run the facility. Vivo already manages three other student blocks close by with 100% occupancy.
Councillors on the planning committee will meet on Tuesday (August 19) to decide on the fresh application with planning officers recommending approval. Their report concludes the scheme will “contribute positively towards a diverse and complementary mix of uses”.
However, elsewhere in the report officers say businesses in the Fabric District are concerned “that the concentration of PBSA (purpose-built student accommodation) schemes may be too great, limiting the choice of living accommodation for potential residents”.
The report adds: “There is already too much student accommodation in the Fabric District. The Fabric District CIC has undertaken research into the provision of different types of accommodation in the area.
“In 2023 the research found that of 3,851 units of accommodation in the area, there were 3,255 units of student accommodation (84.5% of the total) as opposed to just 596 of other residential accommodation (15.5% of total).
“Further student accommodation in the area prevents sites being used for other uses including other forms of accommodation in the area, something which is detrimental both to the immediate area and the wider city.”
Reasons given for this are the long periods student accommodation tends to be empty during the year, affecting activity in the area and providing few customers for local businesses. It also limits options for other people who want to live in the area.
Click here to read the full report
A neighbourhood to the east of the city centre, the Fabric District has become a hub for independent businesses, new homes and cultural spaces. The former TJ Hughes store is now a residential development.
It suffered decline for many years but in recent times the area, which centres around London Road and extends to the University of Liverpool campus and Kensington, has started to undergo a process of regeneration.
In July LBN revealed the city council was to use £3.4m of Section 106 funds (money from developers for local improvements to the public realm) to upgrade the London Road corridor linking the Knowledge Quarter and Lime Street.
A redesigned Monument Place will see dedicated bus-priority lanes and upgraded traffic signals on London Road – boosting service reliability on routes.
Monument Place will also be transformed into a high-quality district square with new paving, landscaping, rain gardens, seating and an event space – strengthening the Fabric District’s identity.
The officers’ report added: “It is acknowledged that the Policy CC6 Fabric District places a positive emphasis on supporting the growth of existing businesses and provision of new space for incubator start-ups, makers and manufacturers.
“However, the application can only be assessed based on the submitted plans and uses proposed.”
It went on to explain that the site had previously housed a textiles company which went out of business in 2007. Since then, apart from being used for storage, the building had remained empty. Previous plans to develop it had not come to fruition and, despite expressions of interest, no buyer made an offer.
“While there is general support for a range of residential uses, only an application for student accommodation has been received,” the report states.
This latest student living scheme has been designed by Revival Architecture. The project team also includes Baltic PDC and AJF Engineering Consultants.