Managers of a Coventry student accommodation block have lost a bid to change its use. Plans to let flats at Sherbourne Student Village to non-students as “co living” accommodation were refused by the council last month.
Axo Student Living put forward the scheme to deal with rising numbers of empty rooms in the building. A letter with plans pointed out the problem stems from unstable demand and is hitting other student blocks in the city.
Agents for the group said the large amount of unused space is an “extremely inefficient” use of the land and could ultimately lead to the building’s closure or sale. They stressed the building would still be mainly for students if the council agreed to the new “flexible” use.
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Their letter explained only unoccupied rooms in one of the scheme’s four blocks would be rented to people not at university if the plan went ahead. The flats, on different floors to the students, would be aimed at recent graduates or long term travellers who could stay for up to three months.
But council officers were critical of the move. Their report stressed co-living schemes need to encourage communities and can do this through shared facilities like dining rooms and gyms.
Officers pointed out rooms in the block are “effectively self-contained” with ensuites and small kitchens, and the few communal spaces are on the ground floor, five flights of stairs away. They concluded this would be “inadequate” for the number of residents living there.
Planners also said the block’s 18 square metre studio rooms would be “too small” for non-students for anything other than short term stays. They said said the three-month tenancy limit would not give people long-term housing security and the effect would be more like a hotel, which would not be allowed as the building is too far from the centre.
Officers concluded that the building’s features mean it “would not result in an acceptable living environment for non-students” and advised plans be refused. More details can be found on the council planning portal via reference: PL/2024/0001817/FUL.