Green light for upmarket Leeds student flats

Leeds City Council’s city plans panel has given developer Vita Student, owned by Select Property Group, planning permission to build the multi-storey student accommodation building on land between St Alban’s Place and Belgrave Street.

The St Alban’s development will include 376 apartments along with social spaces in a multi-storey building up to 18 storeys (56m) tall.

Vita Student plan to create a small park at the New Briggate site, which also has space for a new bar and restaurant.

Lee McLean, managing director of Vita Student, said: “We are thrilled to be launching our first development in Leeds.

“The location at New Briggate will enable us to improve current public areas and revitalise the site, whilst still retaining the green features and mature trees the area currently benefits from.”

Pete Gleave, senior planner at the scheme’s planning consultant Deloitte Real Estate, said: “This development will raise the bar for student living in Leeds city centre, introducing much higher standards of student accommodation to the region.

“As well as new residential units, Vita Student will create extensive commercial space and residents will benefit from comprehensive redevelopment of the adjoining park. This development will create an outstanding hub for students and, having successfully worked with Select on a number of major schemes in recent years, it is pleasing to see this exciting development move one step closer to realisation.”

A report to the city plans panel meeting stated: “The development would bring high quality contemporary architecture that responds positively to the area.”