Revamped plans to turn a town centre office block into student accommodation are set to be approved.

Developer WUKPG wants to turn Morston House, off The Midway, in Newcastle, into 126 studio flats, along with communal rooms and a gym.

The six-storey building was last used as an NHS clinic and office but has now stood vacant for a number of years. Previous plans to bring it back into use as student accommodation, which involved a three-storey upward extension, were blocked by Newcastle Borough Council in 2022.

Planning committee members were concerned over the lack of parking and the impact the larger building would have on heritage assets in the town centre. But the new scheme, which features side extensions filling the space to the Midway car park, but no increase in height, has been recommended for approval by officers.

The six-storey building was last used as an NHS clinic and office (Google).

The borough council's conservation officer says the scale and massing of the modified building will be very similar to the existing structure, meaning it would have a 'neutral impact' on the town centre. But the conservation advisory working party raised concerns that student accommodation would not be easy to re-purpose in future, and said they felt the design was 'disappointing'.

The planning committee will make a decision on the proposals when it meets on Tuesday, July 16.

The report to the planning committee states: "The site provides a highly sustainable location for residential development. It is not considered that there would be any harm to the setting of the nearby listed St Giles' Church or the character and appearance of the Conservation Area.

"The development would provide acceptable living conditions for its occupiers and given its highly sustainable location, it is not considered that the lack of parking within the proposal would have any significant adverse impact on highway safety so as to justify a refusal on such grounds."

A decision on the plans will be made on Tuesday 16 July (Google).

The planning application for a change and use and side extensions includes proposals for a new personnel entrance to The Midway, along with communal rooms, a gym, laundry, cycle store, and associated works such as landscaping.

Keele University is supporting the application, which it says will support its 'significant growth plans'. The university expects the total student population to increase by around 4,000 by 2027/28, with accommodation on the campus being prioritised for first year undergraduates.

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