Unite is planning a 233-bed Bristol student accommodation block in Brunel House.
The office building is the former home of the Bristol planning department and has a listed façade. Refurbishing it into student accommodation, to provide 48 studios and 26 cluster flats, will cost £19m.
Unite’s plan, which has been recommended for approval, will retain the original listed façade of Brunel House and include refurbishment and external alteration of the site to include car parking and cycle parking.
Bristol has an undersupply of purpose-built student accommodation. The city’s 21,800 full-time students lack access to purpose-built accommodation, and student numbers are expected to rise to 24,200 by the 2017-18 academic year, according to CBRE.
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