Glasgow city centre student flats on site earmarked for hotel recommended for approval

A bid to build student flats on city centre land which had been earmarked for a hotel is recommended for approval by Glasgow planners.

Real estate firm Dominus wants to create 174 studios in a 13-storey block on a site at the corner of Osborne Street and Old Wynd.

It would include a residents’ lounge, games and karaoke rooms, cinema, yoga area, study lounge and terrace.

Officials at Glasgow City Council have said they believe the scheme should get the green light, ahead of a planning committee meeting on Tuesday.

Both the Architectural Heritage Society Scotland and Merchant City and Trongate Community Council have objected to the project.

They think there is an over-concentration of student accommodation in the city centre and have concerns over the impact of the building’s height.

The community council said developers are “tempted by the higher profit margins available in the student accommodation market compared with returns from hotels or residential accommodation”.

It also claimed as students are transient, there would be a lack of integration with the community.

Another student accommodation development — from Ambassador Group — has already been approved on a car park to the west side of Old Wynd. That project will cover up a Billy Connolly mural.

The NCP King Street car park opposite is also set to be redeveloped in the future, with plans for homes, offices and a hotel.

Dominus’ site is understood to have been empty since the mid-1990s when a building was knocked down. Plans to redevelop the land, including residential, retail and hotel uses, have never been implemented.

The firm has already got permission to build a hotel and believes the “planning history of the site establishes that the principle of development of a building of scale in this location is acceptable”.

An open plan lounge area is proposed on the top floor and each studio would have a desk, bed, bathroom, wardrobe, kitchenette and breakfast bar.

A report by council planners states that consent for a hotel was granted in 2019, but there has been “little other interest in development of the site”.

It adds due to “minimal maintenance”, the site detracts from “the visual amenity of the streetscene” and the proposal would “bring vibrancy and increased footfall to the area”.

“Naturally, there is a hesitancy over the development of tall buildings within a heritage setting,” the report continues. “However, there are circumstances where they can be successfully integrated and provide a positive contribution to the built environment, particularly in areas of high public transport and pedestrian accessibility.”

Planners believe the building provides “a suitable high-quality architectural response and robust material selection that responds appropriately to a sensitive setting”.

They also think purpose-built student accommodation in this location is “appropriate” and supports “the growth of higher and further education institutions”.

The development would be “expected to contribute towards the freeing up of mainstream residential accommodation capacity” currently occupied by students.

Planners add it is considered the scheme would “not have a detrimental impact upon the wider community and there is capacity to absorb” an extra 174 bed spaces.