York St John University: Student flats to be built on former NHS site

The scheme would benefit students from lower income backgrounds who attend the university, officials said

Plans to turn a former NHS mental health unit in York into student accommodation have been approved.

York St John University (YSJ) submitted plans to build the three-storey blocks of flats for its students at Peppermill Court, off Huntington Road.

Officials said the accommodation was "desperately needed".

The flats, which would be available at a discounted rate, would help students from lower income backgrounds who attend the university, they added.

Estates manager Nick Coakley said YSJ was one of the country's fastest growing universities, which has this year been forced to put first year students into private houses of multiple occupation (HMO) due to a lack of purpose-built accommodation.

"Our students are the paramedics, nurses, teachers, scientists, lawyers, artists, designers and business professionals of the future - vitally important to society, and in many cases already working in desperately needed key roles," he said.

The largely car-free development, in what is already a popular area with students, includes 210 rooms in six linked buildings, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

City of York Council approved the plans at a meeting on Thursday, despite some concerns from local residents over the potential for noise and loss of privacy.

"When it comes to assumptions around privacy, we think we've gone as far as we can go and beyond the buffer distances that were discussed with the council planning team," Mr Coakley said.

"The development will be owned and operated by the university, who will take an active role in its management.

"[It] will have a 24/7 presence on site through a security office with student wardens supplementing that, CCTV monitoring and a large number of noise meters installed."