A bid to convert floors of an underoccupied student building into shared housing has been rejected by officials.
The proprietors of Fortress House on Corporation Street in Coventry submitted plans to alter the third and fourth storeys after experiencing difficulties renting rooms to university students.
They attributed the decline in overseas students choosing UK universities and a surplus of purpose-built student housing locally to the impact of the pandemic and the UK’s departure from the European Union.
Richard Morgan from IC Planning, acting on behalf of the applicants, stated that the building had suffered prolonged low student occupancy that could not be maintained indefinitely. He explained that permitting increased flexibility to lease units to non-students as houses in multiple occupation would allow more efficient building management, decrease long-term vacancies and establish more consistent year-round residency. He noted the scheme would contribute positively to fulfilling local housing requirements without affecting established family homes. The proposed shared accommodation was designed to serve young working professionals and recent graduates looking for central living with easy access to jobs, amenities and transport connections.
The scheme would have created a sixteen-bedroom shared house for twenty-one residents on the third level and a five-bedroom equivalent for five occupants on the fourth level.
However, municipal planning officers dismissed the application, determining it conflicted with the Coventry Local Plan, the HMO Development Plan and the National Planning Policy Framework.
According to a council document, transforming existing student housing into non-student accommodation would not deliver sufficient shared communal areas, lacking natural light or ventilation for common facilities on the third floor. The submission also failed to adequately demonstrate why outdoor amenity space could not be established on the flat roof section. Consequently, future residents would face poor living conditions and standards, the report stated.
Inspectors examined the premises and discovered the third floor kitchens contained no windows and amenities were minimal, with an absence of seating or entertainment equipment typically present in larger shared housing. The dining space within each kitchen accommodated only six individuals, meaning occupants were consuming meals in their personal bedrooms.
One local resident raised concerns about the shared housing proposal, arguing it failed to address the requirements of young professionals and graduates it was intended to serve.
Modifications had already been undertaken in 2024 to address the number of vacant student rooms. Approval was previously given to transform the ground level of Fortress House from student accommodation and a fitness facility into two retail outlets trading in food and beverages.