Newcastle to approve 432-bed PBSA
Hanro’s plans would kill two birds with one stone in providing much-needed city centre student accommodation and helping to alleviate match-day footfall around St James’ Park.
Plans lodged by Pegasus on behalf of Hanro in February last year propose the demolition of 11–19 Leazes Park Road, including Percy Tall and the former Labour Club, alongside the partial demolition, refurbishment and extension of Percy House.
At the heart of the proposals is a new 13-storey PBSA building, which steps down to 12 storeys at the northern end due to the site’s topography, and further reduces to four storeys where it adjoins neighbouring properties.
The scheme will deliver up to 432 student bedrooms, a new commercial unit, and public realm improvements, while Percy Small will be refurbished and extended from five to seven storeys to align with the adjacent Magnet Court building.
The development will provide 24 accessible studio rooms, 318 standard studio bedrooms, and 90 cluster bedrooms, with the cluster accommodation featuring shared kitchen, living, and dining spaces serving up to five en-suite bedrooms.
All rooms will include en-suite bathrooms, storage, a bed, and dedicated study space.
At ground floor level, a reception area, study and seating spaces, games and cinema areas, post facilities and laundry rooms are proposed.
Externally, 7,750 sq ft of amenity space will be provided to the rear of the building, incorporating hard and soft landscaping, seating areas and pockets of habitat designed to support urban biodiversity.
A key feature of the scheme is a new publicly accessible route beneath Percy Small, improving pedestrian connectivity between Percy Street, Eldon Square, and the area around St James’ Park.
The route will link with nearby developments including One Strawberry Lane and Vita Student, and has been designed to support high footfall on match days.
Given the city centre location, no car parking is proposed for students or staff – instead, servicing will take place from the rear of the site, with student drop-off and pick-up managed from Leazes Park Road at the start and end of term.
The proposals come amid sustained growth in Newcastle’s student population, which now stands at nearly 60,000 across Newcastle University and Northumbria University.
The council’s report notes that student numbers in the city have increased by around 20% since 2014/15, with demand continuing to rise from both domestic and international students.
Both universities are pursuing expansion plans that are expected to further increase demand for PBSA: Northumbria University is progressing new academic and research facilities, while Newcastle University secured approval for the Health Innovation Neighbourhood at the former General Hospital site, which although facing delays is still progressing.
Newcastle City Council is expected to grant permission for the development at its planning meeting on Friday.
