'Remarkable' 37-storey student skyscraper approved

Plans for a 37-storey student accommodation block to replace part of Leeds' ageing Merrion Centre have been approved.

The 400ft (122m) skyscraper is earmarked for the site currently occupied by Home Bargains and a disused cinema and would house more than 800 people.

The plans also include adding a further 223 beds, as well as a gym, cinema and laundry room, in the adjacent Wade House office block.

Approving the project, members of Leeds City Council's City Plans panel described the project as "sensible" and "remarkable".

A report to councillors said the project would "contribute to an ever more vibrant city centre which will sustain the retail and hospitality sector".

The tower, which would be located near three conservation areas, will be visible from parts of the city centre including Millennium Square.

"Distinctive" columns of blue brick will extend around the building and "help to define the new entrance", according to the report.

Efforts will also be made to maintain existing street amenities such as ATM's.

Despite welcoming the project, panel member Asghar Khan raised concerns about an increase in student accommodation in the city centre.

"I am not against any student accommodation in the city centre but I do not want to see the city centre becoming a ghost town during the summer months" he said.

He added that the development was "remarkable".

Colin Campbell told the meeting that because of the large number of people studying in the city "for much of the year the city centre is vibrant, full of life and full of activity."

He said because of the young people the city centre also felt like a "much safer environment".

He added that the owners of the Merrion Centre were "quite sensibly" looking to "revive" elements of the shopping mall which was first opened in 1964.

The report said plans for the scheme had been revised since it was first proposed in 2022.

• Why does Leeds need so much student accommodation?

Each year, tens of thousands of people come to study in Leeds home at institutions such as the University of Leeds, Leeds Beckett University, Leeds Arts and the Leeds Conservatoire.

Research from Unipol suggests that between 2014/15 and 2022/23 the number of full-time students at the University of Leeds and Leeds Beckett rose by about 9,500 and is predicted to go up by another 4,000 by 2027/28.

The number of international students in the city has also risen.

In recent years schemes for more than 17,000 student bed spaces have been approved.

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