FRESH plans have been submitted for 135 student flats in York city centre, after similar plans were refused in July.

Harrogate-based Gregory Properties has amended plans for the 0.25ha site at 15 Foss Islands Road, taking into account why City of York Council’s planning turned down the scheme.

The site concerns the former premises of Enterprise Rent-A-Car, which has now lain empty for over a year.

Councilllors had refused the scheme in July, believing the rooms were not big enough and they lacked sufficient ‘common’ facilities for the students. They also had concerns over the potential traffic disruption at student ‘drop-off’ times.

The latest plans now incorporate common rooms on all floor levels, with the bedrooms reconfigured/omitted accordingly.

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There is also planned one extra accessible parking space, with the forecourt area re-designed to make drop-offs easier, adding to a plan to manage this.

The application adds this is a ‘car free’ scheme, with the non-disabled told there is no parking available.

An extra lift, now making it two lifts, will also ease access.

The design has been amended, with the Foss Islands Road frontage three-storey to ‘respect’ the adjacent two-storey terrace.

By Elvington Terrace, the building is five-storeys to fit in with nearby four-storey buildings.

This part of the scheme includes cycle storage as laundry facilities as a section facing a wall is not suited for residential use.

Planning documents submitted to City of York Council says overall the size of the buildings on-side will be increased from the current 1243m2 (but they are to be demolished under the proposals) to 5440m2, an increase of 4197m2.

York Press: The site of the proposed scheme

If approved, there would be 133 studios, plus two one-bed apartments, seven of which would be accessible. They would be larger than approved schemes on the Mecca site, Frederick House on Fulford Road and Aubrey House.

The room sizes were also in line with guidance used by Leeds City Council.

Furthermore, there would be 380m2 of communal accommodation for social/study/gym spaces on the ground floor, plus 87m2 of common rooms on the upper floors.

Outside, would be 519m2 of courtyard space in two courtyards.

Planning documents also said the design of the scheme presented ‘less harm’ than earlier proposals.

It also helps meet a need for student accommodation in York.

The intended operators are Hello Student, who run 700 bed spaces in York, plus other sites nationally.

The previous employment/commercial uses for the site were no longer viable. For the existing buildings to meet current standards £350,000 would have to be spent on them. The site had been marketed and found no takers for such use.

Therefore, the planning application concluded that with the changes made to accommodate the concerns of planning committee, and the council generally not objecting to the design, as it would ‘contribute positively to the streetscape’, the plans should be approved.