iQSA submits plans for new student accommodation in Glasgow city centre

The firm wants to demolish a 1970s office building at 225 Bath Street and build a “carefully considered” accommodation building with around 560 bedrooms.

Documents submitted to Glasgow City Council have revealed that the rooms would come in various configurations, supported by “excellent internal and external amenities”.

A design statement explains: “The development’s wide range of bedroom configurations is intended to provide accommodation for a much wider range of student age groups than normally use conventional PBSA (purpose-built student accommodation); beyond their normal first and second year stay.

“It will therefore contribute to the removal of those older students from their typical accommodation, often poor quality HMOs, freeing those existing buildings for regeneration into more suitable residential accommodation to meet the needs of the city.

“In this way, iQSA believe that the proposed development will contribute positively to the regeneration of Bath Street and beyond in line with Glasgow City Council’s aspirations and contribute to the city’s City Centre Living Strategy of population increase.”

The document continues: “The 225 Bath Street site and it’s excellent location will allow iQSA to strengthen its offer, along with the highly successful Elgin Place development immediately opposite the site, within Glasgow’s very important Higher and Further Education sector.”

The existing building is largely unlet and “exhibits a number of constraints to effective and sustainable office use” while not lending itself to adaptation to other uses.

The proposal is pending assessment by planners, ReGlasgow reports.