Nearly 300 Student Flats Planned for Glasgow’s City Centre

Developers in Glasgow have submitted plans to build almost 300 student flats on empty land in the city center to meet the housing demand.

Media reports say the 11-story building will include a cinema and a gym, and that the facility will be built on a vacant site near the King Street car park, Erudera.com reports.

Plans have been submitted to the city council and include 262 one-bed studios, ten one-bed apartments, and 16 accessible flats. After applying, developers highlighted the significant need for more student housing due to the population growth in Glasgow.

According to them, the population in the city has been growing faster than the provision of accommodation, thus creating pressure for rented housing, the Glasgow Live, the newspaper covering city news, reports.

“The proposed development presents the opportunity to revitalise a longstanding vacant and brownfield site which sits in a prominent location within Glasgow city center,” the proposal reads.

Data from the National Records of Scotland (NRS) indicate that by June 2021, the population in Glasgow was 635,130, which was a drop of one percent, from 635,640 in 2020. Out of all council areas in Scotland, Glasgow registered the highest population in 2021.

Additionally, the proposal also noted that the need to fill the void is due to the increase in international student numbers in Glasgow. The high demand for university-provided accommodation has led to many local and international students seeking private rented housing.

Developers have previously voiced concerns about student accommodation in Glasgow, saying that many students will be in dire need of securing a place to stay due to the lack of projects on purpose-built accommodation.

“Glasgow is unable to accommodate its current student population. The city will be under greater pressure if student numbers continue to grow,” they said earlier.

Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland, home to leading universities like the University of Glasgow and the Glasgow Caledonian University, which attract many international students.

Last year, the University of Glasgow warned students about the housing crisis in Scotland and advised them to consider deferring their studies until they find accommodation.

Back then, BBC reported that the school had been taking measures to assist students who couldn’t find a place to stay, but students denied it, saying that the university did not pay attention to their needs and told them to consider withdrawing.

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