Plans to offer students flats as serviced accommodation units until the start of the September has been unanimously refused over the lack of parking.

Deakin's Yard in Newcastle was due to open this year but delays in construction work meant the building wasn't ready for the start of this academic year.

Now developer Integritas Property Group asked for permission to use part of the building between January and September, before students are set to move in. Deakin's Yard, formerly known as the Sky Building was approved on appeal with a shortfall of 49 parking spaces. 

Originally the developer asked for all 273 flats to be available as serviced accommodation units, however this was scaled back due to concerns over lack of parking. The site only has 19 off-street parking spaces and 273 spaces would have been required if all units were available.

The site has only 19 off-street parking spaces (LDRS).

Following a compromise, only 68 rooms will now be available. Planning officers stated during the planning committee meeting at Newcastle Borough Council that there would be a shortfall of 49 parking spaces – which is the same as the approved plans.

However Councillor Gill Heesom told the planning committee that parking was still a concern. She said: "I refused this application in 2017 because of the parking issue, I still don't agree with this.

"I mean 49 spaces short regardless of how they came to the calculation. It's a totally different scenario now because if I was having a serviced flat and I was a professional I would want to bring my car with me.

"I really can't see we that we should accept this, there's permit parking in the area that's not good enough as it is, there are too many houses for permit parking. There's a council car park but I think it's going to create huge problems."

The planning committee at Newcastle Borough Council unanimously refused the plans (Newcastle Borough Council).

Councillor Andrew Fear added: "I do worry about this, I mean it seems to me that the residents of the borough are picking up the risk for speculative development and I don't see why they should have to do that. Also I think the likelihood that the uptake will there that these vehicles will be substantially larger than the vehicles that the clientele that's envisaged there is there and that in itself will create a problem."

However councillors were warned that it would be unreasonable to refuse the application on parking grounds. The planning officer said: "There is a shortfall of 49 spaces but there is a current shortfall of 49 or 50 spaces on the approved scheme and so it would be unreasonable for us to conclude there is any material impact or any greater harm than there is in the current scheme."

The planning committee at Newcastle Borough Council unanimously refused the plans.

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