Empiric Student Property has secured planning permission from Manchester City Council for the refresh and expansion of its Victoria Point purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) scheme in Manchester.
The company is set to construct a new four storey and 12 storey building at Victoria Point, a PBSA apartment building situated around the Grade II* listed Victoria Baths.
The project will nearly double the capacity, accommodating 876 beds across 694 self-contained apartment units ranging from two to four bedrooms.
Manchester City Council decided in favour of the Victoria Point scheme. Under the proposals, Empiric will reconfigure four blocks on the site off Hathersage Road and demolish another two. Those that are razed will be replaced one four-storey and another 12-storey building.
The four blocks that are getting a revamp will also be extended. Victoria Point designs from architects Bell Phillips and 5plus also include communal terraces and ground floor commercial space. There would also be 28 car spaces and 266 cycle spaces.
Quartz is the project manager for Victoria Point. LUC is the arboricultural consultant and landscape architect. Rounding out the project team are Vectos, Cushman & Wakefield, Salford Archaeology, Hoare Lea, Greengage, Sandy Brown, Atelier Ten, Eb7, Semper, and Heyne Tillet Steel.
Residents raised 18 objections against the proposed construction of a 12-storey building, citing concerns over loss of light and an influx of students potentially ‘destabilising existing communities’.
Historic England also weighed into the debate, describing the structure as ‘incongruous and conspicuous’ beside the neighbouring listed baths, potentially diminishing its historical significance.
Councillors ultimately ruled that the economic advantages and the need for new PBSA in the city took precedence, approving the Victoria Point plans.
