Eight new blocks to house 926 students in city

Plans for accommodation to house 926 students have been approved by a council.

The flats will be spread across eight blocks on the eastern part of the University of Bath's Claverton Down campus, and will involve building over two tennis courts. The university said it would replace them with two padel courts.

The university's chief operating officer Ghazwa Alwani-Starr said the accommodation will mean it can offer on-campus accommodation to all of its first year students.

Officers from Bath and North East Somerset Council told its planning committee the flats would reduce the pressure on private rentals by removing the need for the equivalent of 386 student houses in the wider city.

"The university has to grow to be sustainable", said committee member Ian Halsall. "It contributes so much to the gross value added in this city and its reputation."

Councillor Fiona Gourley said the plans would be beneficial for students, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

"It's been decades since the last major residential development at the university," she added. "And actually, seeing some of the accommodation that was put up in the early days, this looks like a huge improvement."

Councillors voted 5-2 with one abstention to delegate power to their planning officers to grant planning permission for the application.

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