Bath Row brick block demolition for student accommodation

It's almost a year since I noted the plans by Bouygues Development for new student accomodation on Bath Row, http://birminghamcentral.blogspot.com/2015/02/booming-brum-1.html, replacing a 1970s red brick office block, comprising two and three storey red brick office blocks with underground parking.

Those passing the block will have noticed hoardings and now the gutting of the inside ahead of its demolition.

The development, Bath Court, is Uliving's first direct-let student accommodation scheme with Uliving aiming "to be the creator of the most in-demand student accommodation", https://www.uliving.co.uk/

The new student accommodation sits adjacent to the iQ 9 storey student block which was completed in 2007, http://www.quintain.co.uk/~/media/Files/Q/Quintain/2013-full-year-results/2011/jun-12-a.pdf, and will add to the growing demand for student accommodation.

The following section from the planning application, 2014/08711/PA, notes the increasing student demand for accommodation.

The Demand Report submitted with the application notes that the full time and sandwich student population in Birmingham stood at 50,600 in 2012/13, up from 5,620 (12%) since 2007/08. Over the same period there has been a 21% increase in the number of students from outside the region. The report also notes that there is likely to be a significant increase in demand for rooms in the city centre from BCU students from 2013/14 onwards, as the University moves students from Perry Barr to its new Eastside Campus. The stock of private student accommodation currently totals 7,500 with a further 9,500 room provided directly by the Universities. There are also extant planning consents for a further 3,300 rooms in the city but which have yet to be implemented.

The design and the ambition of Uliving follows what Nick Riley notes as a demand from most students and also parents and universities for affordable quality, http://nickrileyarchitect.com/, in student accommodation.


The photos below show the red brick 70s office gutted and awaiting demoltion.

An image of what the proposed development will look like, reproduced from http://bouygues-development.com/projects/bath-court/