Student housing plan for closed furniture store

The furniture shop closed in March 2023 ahead of the opening of a new store at the Metrocentre

Plans to knock down a closed furniture shop and build student flats have been unveiled.

Student housing firm Vita Student wants to build 260 studio flats on the site of the former Barker and Stonehouse site in Leazes Park Road, Newcastle.

The city centre shop shut in March 2023 ahead of the opening of a new store at the Metrocentre in Gateshead.

The housing firm, which plans to spend £40m on the project, said it would deliver “substantial economic, social and environmental benefits”. 

It has submitted plans to Newcastle City Council, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Vita Student said the project would create 700 jobs during the building phase and 10 full-time posts once completed.

The firm also said it would save the old Strawberry House building attached to the vacant furniture shop and incorporate it into the housing complex, while helping to “relieve existing demand and pressure on traditional residential accommodation” from students in popular areas like Jesmond and Sandyford.

A decision on whether or not the scheme can go ahead is expected to be made by the city council’s planning committee in the coming months.

If permission is granted the housing firm, which also runs student housing schemes on neighbouring Strawberry Place and Westgate Road, said the new development would be a six-storey apartment block.

As well as the 260 flats, the building would feature lounge and games areas, studying space, a gym, bike storage and a cinema room, the firm said.