Over one thousand extra students could be coming to Lincoln after the city’s council voted in favour of new accommodation buildings last night.
The building work will see the erection of ten new blocks, varying between four and ten storeys in height with ‘seating, landscaping and cycle stores’ between them.
The City of Lincoln Council had previously rejected the plans from developers Aberdeen Standard Investments, saying that the proposed designs were ‘bland’.
But a meeting of the council’s Planning Committee yesterday voted in favour of new designs for the development, which would be located in the western corner of St. Marks Retail Park.
The site was previously home to Lidl, Topps Tiles and Homebase – and demolition work has been taking place there since late last month.
The acceptance of the new plans last night means that work on the accommodation buildings can go ahead, potentially bringing an extra 1,372 students into the city.
Councillor Gary Hewson, one of those who previously voted against the plans, changed his mind yesterday and declared his support.
Cllr Hewson told The Linc: “I voted against it last time but that was nothing to do with it being student accommodation, because we all recognise the need for extra student accommodation as it takes the pressure of housing in the city that was previously for families.
“What I was concerned about was that the original plans were a bit bland and all the brick just wouldn’t have fitted in, but I wasn’t voting against the students.
“Now I think the developers have listened and given us something a bit more attractive with a different colour scheme, so we did the right thing by refusing it last time as that area is a prominent gateway to the city.”
A University of Lincoln spokesperson added: “The University of Lincoln has had another unprecedented year of growth with record numbers of people from around the world choosing to study here.
“This success is driven by our Gold award for teaching excellence, high student satisfaction, and record ranking of 22nd in The Guardian University Guide.
“One of the appeals of the University is the city centre location of our campus with most of the dedicated student accommodation within walking distance.
“The St Marks investments will help us meet future accommodation needs of students without placing pressure on the private rented housing market as the University and the city continue to flourish.”