New student tower with more than 250 beds to be built in Sheffield city centre

The new student accommodation scheme will have 252 beds (in studios and cluster units) on the corner of Matilda Street and Eyre Street in the city centre.

The building will come with amenities such as student hubs, cycle storage, laundry, gym, private dining, private study room, outdoor terraces and staff facilities.

The size of the studios will range between 16m2 and 29m2 (the latter branded as “premium studios”) while the cluster rooms will be available in 12m2-14m2 and 15m2-17m2 sizes.

The current two-storey brick building on the site – which is proposed to be removed – is vacant.

However, City Ward councillors have "concerns" about the development.

Councillor Ruth Mersereau said she – and her colleagues – were concerned about the amount of student accommodation in the city centre, the sizes of the rooms, the lack of open space, the loss of outdoor space and "extra vehicular traffic" in the area.

In the planning portal, an objector added: "I have no objection to the principle of development, and welcome the location of housing in the city centre. The scale and massing of the building is appropriate to its location and context.

"However, further development of short-stay student accommodation will not create a sustainable neighbourhood, and I have concerns there is an oversupply in the city centre.

"I do not believe this proposal is in line with the Council’s City Centre Strategic Vision of creating permanent communities which will mean the city centre is more vibrant, more viable and more sustainable.

"On this basis only – residential typology – I would like to register my objection to the proposed development."

In the planning officer’s report, it was said that while rooms are below national standards, there are communal spaces to make up for it. The building’s design is also "high-quality" and it will "not have an unacceptable impact" on nearby properties.

The application, which was approved with conditions, can be viewed in the planning portal under 22/04571/FUL.