A MULTI-million pound student village plan has prompted a huge debate over whether the city needs such a development.
Proposals to build on the Green Belt and to house thousands of students on the outskirts of the city centre have been met with fierce resistance from residents of nearby Blacon and Mollington.
However some, such at a Canal Basin Forum, see it as a welcome boost to the city and the university.
The £200 million village, which would cater for up to 3,000 students, includes a skate/BMX park, restaurants, bars and sporting facilities.
Chester-based firm Bell Developments Ltd put forward the proposal for the dedicated student campus to Cheshire West and Chester Council’s planning board after a student accommodation study identified the 66-acre site off Parkgate Road as the preferred site.
The new campus, which developers say would include adequate security, would be within walking distance of the city centre and have revealed plans for a designated well-lit walkway linking the campus to the university and the city.
However, Bell Developments must prove ‘very special circumstances’ to get planning permission because the site lies in Green Belt
The Leader went out on the streets to find out what city residents think about the new development.
Some see the plans as a positive change that will boost the university and also be welcomed by the students.
Darren Evans, 22, of Parkgate Road, said: “It will be a good idea. I can understand why people are against because having all these students in one place might cause disruption. But I know a lot of university students who would rather stay in a student village."
Alexander Burrows, 18, a law student at the University of Chester, said: “I think it is a great university and I am glad to have been a student there. I think this is a brilliant venture for the university.
“It will have a positive impact on the community and on student life.”
Retired solicitor, Maria Griffin, of Liverpool Road, said: “As a former student, I would like to see student accommodation. I am completely for it.”
Other people, such as Hella Urb, have mixed thoughts over the need for the village.
The 27-year-old said: “I don’t think it is a bad idea. I have not noticed any change in the population of students. But I think it comes down to the students. Do they need it and do they want it? It might bring a bit of life to Blacon because most students live around the university.
“They might have to consider transport options with it being a bit far away.”
Hairdresser, Mel Kimpton, 21, of Ellesmere Port, who works in the city, said: “The university has become a lot bigger. I have been working here for six years, you never used to notice the students before but now you do.
“It will be good for them to have the new development because they have been moving into residential neighbourhoods and taking over family homes.”
University student, Josh Valentine, 23, of Mollington, said: “It will be great having a student village. It is needed. However, I know Mollington is a nice area and I am not sure what having a big student village will do to the area.”