University halls that were home to tens of thousands of Newcastle students are being torn down.
Demolition work is now under way at Newcastle University’s Castle Leazes accommodation blocks, in Spital Tongues. It is expected that the 1960s-built student flats will be completely flattened by this spring, with bosses planning a £250 million redevelopment of the site. The existing Castle Leazes site, which had bed capacity for 1,247 students, was branded outdated and too costly to bring up to modern standards. University chiefs, working with student housing provider Unite Students, want to replace the demolished accommodation with two sprawling blocks that would have an increased capacity of more than 2,000.
Those proposals were lodged with Newcastle City Council last summer and the authority’s planning committee is yet to deliver a verdict on whether they can go ahead. A statement jointly issued by Newcastle University and Unite Students said: “Working together, Newcastle University and Unite Students are planning to provide new accommodation to meet the needs of the growing student population.
“Extensive consultation with local residents has taken place, to ensure the demolition work has minimal impact on the local community. We believe this development – subject to planning approval – will alleviate pressure on the city’s housing market while providing sustainable, state-of-the-art facilities that students expect, and which ensures net biodiversity gain.”
The university has previously warned that it has an “immediate and pressing shortage” of student beds. It is hoped that the revamped Castle Leazes plot will help alleviate that and reduce the pressure on popular suburbs like Jesmond and Sandyford.
The future designs for the site feature two buildings, which would vary between four and nine storeys in height at different points, arranged to form a series of courtyards and a central pedestrian footway through the middle of what is described as an “innovative, inclusive, accessible and adaptable student village”. The development would also include study spaces, a gym, karaoke and cinema rooms, a games area, and a cafe.
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