DEVELOPERS planning to bring more student housing to Hull Road risk swamping and over-saturating the area, residents and councillors have warned.

Vita Student have applied to convert the historic Poor Clare's convent on Lawrence Street into a 21st century student village with 660 bed spaces, but have faced objections from locals worried about parking and angry that more of their neighbourhood is being given over to the expanding student population.

The Hull Road Planning Panel have issued a stark objection to the scheme saying its impact locally would be "horrendous".

They wrote: "It is galling that all new student accommodation seems to end up along the Hull Road/Lawrence Street/Walmgate corridor.

"Many lovely period buildings have been lost and replaced with anonymous modern blocks of flats which show no respect for the scale, setting and character of the area."

They area desperately needs family housing, they added, but instead has seen a "relentless" drive more student homes since 2003 - something the large Lawrence Street site could have provided.

Their views are backed up by Fishergate councillor Dave Taylor who said the council has missed an opportunity to make public open space, like allotments, from the historic gardens.

Neighbouring Hull Road councillor Neil Barnes said he too shared fears for the future of the site.

Cllr Barnes said: "Whilst the merits of this particular application will ultimately be decided on planning matters, I do urge caution to developers looking to the student market in the east of York as a quick earner.

"There’s a growing view that the student lettings market may well end up over-saturated in the long term – as result of the Heslington East campus development gradually drawing to a conclusion whilst development of student housing continues unabated off-campus."

The chief commercial officer of parent company Select Property Group Mark Oates responded to the criticism saying the company took care to consider local residents.

He said: "We are aware that Lawrence Street is within a residential setting and located on a historical site, so our proposed design has been designed to be sympathetic to these considerations.

"We know from the public consultation we held that some residents are concerned over parking, however with the vast majority of our customers being international we sincerely do not think that there will be an influx of cars into the area.”