Glasgow University submits plans for student housing with nearly 300 bedrooms

Proposals for new purpose-built student accommodation featuring almost 300 bedrooms have been submitted to Glasgow City Council.

If approved the 291 rooms would be developed at Lilybank Gardens which is currently a car park offering 106 marked bays and is situated near Hillhead Subway Station, Byres Road and Ashton Lane.

The Gardens themselves are owned by the University of Glasgow along with the row of terraces on the eastern side.

Members of the public can enter the existing car park via a one-way loop road around Lilybank Gardens, which can be accessed from Great George Street.

The site historically contained a tenement and a row of townhouses and helped form the characteristic of the wider Hillhead and Dowanhill area but has since been demolished.

Glasgow University has submitted a design and access statement to the council’s planning department which summarises its proposals and can be viewed online.

It states that the accommodation will help develop a “purpose built” solution to the university’s residential requirements and outs the student experience at the heart of the design process while prioritising the wellbeing of the student population.

The university wants to offer supporting and sociable spaces that foster exchange between students, avoid overly institutional environments and offer highly inclusive and accessible spaces.

The design and access statement reads: “Building on a decade of investing in new facilities and creating a cohesive urban environment in the heart of West End, the University of Glasgow is committed to further enhancing the student experience through the built environment.

“The building will deliver one of the University’s first purpose-built student residences for over 20 years at the heart of the City’s West End.

“Central to the project is the creation of an inclusive environment that prioritises the student experience.

“The primary goal is to offer students high-quality, close-to-campus accommodation that meets the needs of our growing academic community and enriches our students’ overall university experience.

“This development will provide easy access to academic and extracurricular facilities, reducing commuting time and expense.

“This will improve their work-study-life balance, affordability, and strengthen the on-campus community and connections In addition to delivering much-needed student accommodation immediately to the University’s campus, the project will help in bridging the Western Campus with its wider urban context and local economy with key frontages to Lilybank Gardens, Great George Lane and Great George Street.

“Taking advantage of the site’s excellent transport connections and local amenities, the Lilybank Gardens development will create a high-quality addition to the University of Glasgow’s existing housing portfolio and provide for the changing needs of the University’s diverse student community.”

The plans are due to go before council planners.