DPP were appointed by the client to advise prior to acquisition of the site, developing a planning strategy to secure planning approval for a 26-storey purpose built student accommodation scheme.
Being located outside of the defined city centre or designated ‘ridge line’, the site was not favoured for a ‘tall building’. Also submitted at a time when the Council were questioning the need for further purpose-built student accommodation, DPP had to overcome an initial resistance to the form of development proposed, doing this through a student need assessment which examined the pipeline of development and a review of unimplemented planning approvals.
DPP co-ordinated the complex planning application for this site, preparing a Tall Buildings Report as well as a Sustainable Construction Report.

Approval was secured within 12 weeks and in so doing, DPP overcame the initial concerns of the council about scale, mass, design and the principle of student accommodation at the site.

The greatest achievement was perhaps that this was secured despite it being located directly opposite the window of the Director of Planning at the Council!

Images courtesy of DCSK Architects