A former oil factory in Birmingham's Gun Quarter can now be demolished to make way for the city's latest student accommodation development.
The four-storey Charter House, on the corner of Bagot Street and Legge Street, will be bulldozed and replaced with a building of up to ten storeys containing 534 bedrooms in shared flats, a 3,510 sq ft convenience store, fitness suite and 27 bike spaces.
The development will neighbour several other halls of residence in what is fast becoming a hub for student accommodation in the Gun Quarter.
London-based developer and operator Knightsbridge Student Housing is behind this latest project, having previously built the neighbouring Studios 51 and Penworks, and is expecting to complete the work in time for the 2017/18 academic year.
The building, close to both and universities, will join a growing list of student accommodation schemes across the city including close to Five Ways Island, a plot near and the site in Selly Oak among several others.
The Charter House development, which has not been given a new name yet, was welcomed by members of Birmingham City Council's planning committee meeting where it was passed for approval.
Coun Barry Henley (Lab Brandwood) praised the developer for changing a pale brick design to red brick which he said sat well with the surrounding architecture.
"It fits together very well. Having curves is a nice feature when so many buildings are designed with straight lines now," he added.
Fiona Williams (Lab Hodge Hill) added that more modern student accommodation was welcome as "it takes away students from the landlords who exploit them in other parts of the city".
Charter House was once the home of Edgar Vaughan and Co., a company launched by an eponymous local entrepreneur during the early 20th century which manufactured fluid and lubricants until the 1990s.
It underwent several redevelopments and was latterly occupied by successive accountancy firms including RSM Tenon until its acquisition by Baker Tilly in 2013.
Charter House is not listed and in a report accompanying the application.
