Plans submitted to turn student housing into hotel

Compton House in Abington Street currently houses students from the University of Northampton

A planning application has been submitted to a council to temporarily convert student accommodation into a hotel.

Plans have been submitted to West Northamptonshire Council to change the use of Compton House in Northampton, which is privately-run but currently used by students at the University of Northampton.

MWK Architects Ltd, the applicant, said the move was necessary due to the "significant financial challenges" faced by the university.

In a letter seen by the BBC, MWK Architects said it "urges the council to approve the renewal of this existing temporary permission to prevent the university financial difficulties from triggering a chain reaction of business failures".

The university was consulting on potential cost-saving measures - including the possibility of closing some courses - after announcing a £19m deficit.

A spokesperson from the University of Northampton said: "We are currently still recruiting and continue to offer high-quality higher education pathways for our domestic and international markets.

"We were not aware of the application as Compton House isn't university owned [or] managed accommodation, so we can't speak to its business operations and current status."