PLANS for a £200 million village for up to 3,000 students have been unveiled.
If successful the huge development, that would also include a skate/BMX park, restaurants, bars and sporting facilities, would be built on land on the outskirts of Blacon off Parkgate Road.
The plans are the brainchild of Bell Developments, who have now launched an extensive consultation with the public over the scheme.
Massive student village plan ‘would benefit city’
Ambitious plans for a £200m student village including state-of-the-art sports facilities, restaurants and bars on the fringe of Chester’s largest housing estate have been revealed.
Consultation is under way for a purpose built campus for up to 3,000 students on green belt land dividing Blacon and Mollington which developers say will serve to put the University of Chester well and truly on the map.
Chester based firm Bell Developments Ltd have put forward the proposal for the dedicated student campus after a student accommodation study identified the 66-acre site off Parkgate Road as the preferred site for the complex, which could include a BMX skate park and wet and dry sports facility.
The new campus, which developers say would include adequate security, would be within walking distance of the city centre and developers have revealed plans for a designated well-lit walkway linking the campus to the university and the city.
Developers also claim that it would also benefit the Blacon estate.
The proposal, still in its early stages, is expected to be put before full public consultation early next month, and if permission is granted, work could begin at the end of the year.
Residents in the current heavily populated student based Garden Quarter of the city have also spoken out about the benefits of expanding and attracting further opportunities for the university and students.
Avril Codey, chairman of Chester Communities Together and secretary of the Canal Basin Forum, welcomed the development of a student village.
She said: “The aim is to create a balance between residents and students living in the city. The aim is not to denude the city of students.
“As a resident living close to the University of Chester I am fully in support of a student village and I am sure that those communities affected by the expansion of the university will support the proposal too.”
Mike Bell, director of Bell Developments, said: “The development of a dedicated student campus, ideally within walking distance of Chester city centre, provides both the university and the city with a tremendous range of opportunities and benefits. Not only will it help the university attract the brightest and best students to Chester by offering them accommodation that is consistent with the high quality of tuition that is being provided, it will also release large numbers of existing student houses closer to the city centre for local families who are currently struggling to find accommodation.”
Dave Rolinson, chairman of Spawforths, who undertook the student accommodation options study, said: “This is the first comprehensive study that we are aware of in Chester that seeks to understand the scale of the student accommodation need, the benefits to the city and the wider community but which also seeks to transparently identify the most suitable site to meet that need.”
Dave Bell, co-director of Bell Developments, said: “The economical, environmental, social and community benefits a scheme of this scale and nature can bring are not limited to the area adjacent to the site. The positive ripple effects it will have on Chester’s strategic renaissance make the idea of a dedicated student residential campus hugely compelling. As a Chester-based business, this would be one of the most exciting projects our business has been involved in to date.”
As part of the consultation process, people will be invited to drop-in exhibitions and presentations to local interest groups and discussions inviting parties to explore what the development means for them will also take place.
Further discussions will follow with the University of Chester, local councillors and officers of Cheshire West and Chester Council (CWaC) and Chester Renaissance.
Blacon Cllr Reggie Jones said while he had no objection to the principle of the idea of a student village, he did hold concerns about details of the proposal and said much further discussions were needed.