More student flats planned for city

Plans have been submitted by AHB Property Holdings Ltd to turn the former Busy Bee supermarket site in Damside Street, and the adjoining car park in Wood Street, into a total of 35 student bedrooms.

The plans include building two new storeys above the former Cashino Amusements opposite the bus station, with shops on the ground floor below.

The land at the junction of Wood Street and Butterfield Street, currently used as a car park, would become a new build block of student studios.

The plans, on land within the boundary of the Lancaster City Conservation area, have now been submitted to Lancaster City Council.

Cashino Amusements ceased trading around five years ago when the business was the subject of a takeover and activity was transferred to an existing outlet in Cheapside.

The applicant said: “The upper floors above the arcade and retail units will comprise a mix of ashlar stone, smooth coloured render and colour coated metal sidings. New shop fronts will be introduced along the whole of the ground floor frontage.

The newly created accommodation above the arcade and shops will comprise two clusters of three and two clusters of five bed study rooms with shared kitchen/dining and living rooms. The traditional building fronting Damside Street no 14 is to be renovated to create a 3 bed student dwelling.”

Entrance to the cluster unit student accommodation is proposed from Dye House Lane. A new build development is proposed for the car park comprising eight two bed studios for student occupation over four storeys. This building makes reference to the Georgian buildings fronting Cable Street having a raised ground floor with stone steps,