London Road Co-op could be rebuilt to house over 400 students

The empty Co-op building on London could be demolished to make way for a housing development that would contain 407 rooms for students.

The University of Sussex has expressed an interest in the site after developer Watkin Jones applied to demolish the 80-year-old building and replace it with a six-storey residence.

The building has been largely empty for a number of years and is no longer used by the Post Office.

Brighton and Hove residents have been asked to comment on the proposed scheme, which could be considered by the council’s planning committee later this year.

The University of Sussex has said it is interested in the project due to the increased demand for student accommodation following a growth in student numbers.

The university has recently completed the 777-bed Northfield residence at its campus in Falmer and is working towards adding a further 180 rooms at the site by next summer.

However, more developments are required and Charles Dudley, Director of Residential, Sport & Trading Services at the University, said: “The design of the London Road site would enable us to offer housing to undergraduates and postgraduates who would otherwise be housed in the private sector.

“The proposed accommodation is ideally located close to the attractions of the city but with ease of access by public transport and cycle lanes to the Falmer campus.”

Sussex Uni explained that under the plan the building would be managed by a specialist student accommodation company but the University would be responsible for the welfare of Sussex students living there and would be involved with community and neighbourhood relations.

Find out more about the project by searching on Brighton and Hove City Council‘s website for the planning application number BH2011/02417.

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Posted by Joseph Lewis on October 11, 2011. Filed under Brighton and Hove News,Brighton Property News,Featured,Sussex University. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry