UK: University College Birmingham (UCB) is planning to redevelop its 247-bedroom Cambrian Halls site, off Brindley Drive.
The new project will be called Cambrian Wharf, and will feature 1,207 bedrooms across two blocks of 14 and 34 storeys respectively.
A public consultation on the plans, opposite its main campus on the edge of the city’s Jewellery Quarter, is now running until June 14 ahead of a planning application being submitted later this year.
UCB said Cambrian Halls, which was built in the 1970s, no longer met the modern-day requirements needed for student living and the proposed new project would help to meet the increasing demand for bedrooms.
The institute also accommodates 847 students in a complex called The Maltings in Granville Street but this will close in due course.
Mark Payne, executive director of finance and corporate services at UCB, said: “The proposals for the redevelopment of our existing student accommodation offer will strengthen the university’s ability to offer a world-class, supportive student experience in well-located, good value, quality accommodation. This redevelopment provides an opportunity to widen the choice and supply of student bedrooms while ensuring they are fulfilling the requirements of future students studying at the university.”
Subject to securing planning permission, it is anticipated that work on development will start by the end of 2024.
