Birmingham Gun Quarter student accommodation towers can be built and change city's skyline

The project will see two towers, one eight-storey and another 21-storey, providing 279 bedspaces in Cliveland Street in the Gun Quarter.

A council officer’s report said the scheme was able to demonstrate a need for the development and it would be “very well located” to several city centre campuses.

A decision on the plans was deferred last month after a key concern was raised – particularly whether there should be a ground floor commercial unit, such as a shop.

“If you had a retail space, there would be light and more, I feel, safety potentially if you’re walking down and you can see other people,” Coun David Barker said at the time.

But a council officer said such commercial units in similar sites had not been let and purpose-built student accommodation was “quite limited” when it came to what could be put on the ground floor.

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An update, published ahead of a planning meeting this week, said the developer had made “some adjustments” to the ground floor and mezzanine layouts. They include an expanded communal lounge and a student coffee bar intended to create ‘greater animation, light, and activity at ground level’.

The report said the suggestion to incorporate a commercial unit into the development to increase the amount of ‘active frontage’ had been noted.

“This would be one means of generating activity along a prominent street frontage,” it said. “However, it is not the only solution. The proposal uses communal rooms and duplex-type living accommodation to generate activity.”

Not everyone on the planning committee was impressed when the plans were considered again on Thursday, February 13.

“We deferred, they [the developers] have not activated the street scene as we asked and it doesn’t meet our concerns,” Coun Barker argued. “I would advise we refuse it.”

Check out the latest developments in Brum and the West Mids

Coun Gareth Moore added: “I certainly welcome that the applicant has taken on board some of the feedback we gave at the last meeting. I think more could have been done in terms of making it more active frontage – but it is what it is.”

Nick Jackson, area planning manager, told the meeting the design of the development had been pushed “as far as we think we can”.

“We are satisfied it does interact with both the street and canal as best it can,” he said.

The proposals were approved, subject to conditions.