New tower block in Colchester will house University of Essex students
Plans for an eight storey block have been approved by council planners
An eight-storey tower block for University of Essex students will be built in Colchester following delays sparked by planners’ concerns over its height.
The tallest part of the 268-flat scheme in The Hythe, Colchester, will be eight storeys, down from the ten previously proposed by applicant Beyond The Box.
There will also be additional parking space for delivery drivers visiting the site, which is located on the bank of the River Colne.
Colchester Borough Council’s planning committee deferred the plans, proposed to be built in an abandoned industrial area, at a meeting in February after concerns were raised the blocks would overshadow neighbours’ houses and lessen the amount of daylight they receive.
But the committee met again last week (July 28) and approved the scheme, which also includes a major rebuilding of a section of the river wall, which was described as in “desperate need” of repair.
Speaking on behalf of Beyond The Box, Simon Talbot told councillors the scheme would make efficient use of a brownfield site which has been left vacant for over 50 years.
He said: “We’ve tried to create an improvement to the public realm whilst providing sufficient funding from the development to repair the wall, reinstate the public path, the footpath which again hasn’t been in use for 50 years, and bring life back to this bit of The Hythe.”
Colchester is home to one of three campuses for the University of Essex, meaning there is a local demand for student flats.
According to a council report, each storey will contain a shared kitchen and lounge area, as well as a series of studio apartments.
The application was originally called in by ward councillor for Old Heath and The Hythe Lee Scordis (Labour), regarding loss of overshadowing and light and privacy and from large buildings, conservation and parking issues, according to the report.
Fellow councillor for the ward and leader of the Labour group Adam Fox appeared at the recent meeting and said the applicant had “genuinely listened” to residents and businesses.
He said: “While some residents may not ever be happy with a scheme in this location, I think that the applicant has gone a significant way to address these issues, not least as you’ve heard around reducing height and the access issues.”
He later said: “There is a desperate need to rebuild the river wall and certainly I’m concerned that if that wall isn’t rebuilt soon it will only get worse and then become an issue that the council would have to deal with itself.”
He went on to say students contribute over ÂŁ70million a year to the local economy and purpose built student accommodation would help prevent settled residents from coming into conflict with students around issues such as parking and waste collections.
According to the report, the development is also set to have a 77 per cent biodiversity net gain, achieved through constructing roofs with solar panels and areas of biodiversity, and a scheme to clear rubbish and detritus from the River Colne.