Housing for Hartlepool's growing number of students to come under the spotlight

Recent years have seen a rise in the student Hartlepool’s student population, according to a report to go before the council’s regeneration services committee next week.

The majority of the town’s higher education students attend The Northern School of Art in Church Street, but Hartlepool College of Further Education and the Hartlepool 6th Form College both now also offer some higher education provision.

The council has now appointed consultants to undertake a student accommodation needs assessment to establish the emerging need and demand for student accommodation and plans to expand the offer.

The report from Andrew Carter, the council’s assistant director for economic growth and regeneration, reads: “Growth in the student population is anticipated but the extent to which student additional accommodation is required, the number of bed spaces, the type of accommodation and over what period is still yet to be established.

“This study will inform the emerging housing strategy in which student accommodation is a new theme with an action to ‘deliver a range of accommodation for the increasing student population’.

“The student accommodation needs study will seek to establish a more comprehensive evidence base regarding the existing need and emerging demand for student accommodation in Hartlepool.”

Council bosses added the study will be complete by the end of 2019 and they are keen to progress quickly to provide a base for planning policy.

The study will cost £17,000 and will be 100% funded by the Tees Valley Combined Authority Indigenous Growth Fund.

Earlier this year businessman Rob Collier & John Wood MBE, of Advanced Retail Solutions Ltd, revealed plans for student accommodation at land they snapped up to the rear of their newly refurbished Advanced House in Wesley Square, including the derelict Engineers Club,

They are looking to redevelop the one-acre site into a multi-million pound state-of-the-art, purpose-built student village, branded SV24, with 184 apartments, gated access, key-fob entry, CCTV and 24hr security.

The report on student accommodation needs will go before the Hartlepool Borough Council Regeneration Services Committee on Wednesday, September 18, at 10am.