Staffordshire University has held a consultation event for people to take a look at plans for a new student village at its Leek Road site.

The university unveiled the plans earlier this week, which will eventually see existing student accommodation demolished.

Bosses say the new student village is being built with the environment and accessibility in mind.

A formal planning application will be submitted within weeks and, if approved, the new development is expected to be ready for the September 2025 intake.

During the consultation event, visitors were able to look at artist's impressions of the new facilities, as well as viewing 3D models.

If approved, the new development is expected to be ready for the 2025 intake (Staffordshire University).

They were also treated to a virtual reality experience where they could put on a headset and 'step inside' the new hub building.

Caroline Payne is a director at Cheshire-based Emery Planning and has been working with the university on the scheme.

She said: "The existing accommodation was built in the 90s and although it's not that old it's quite poor quality and out of date.

"It's within a flood zone, so it's at a high risk of flooding – and has flooded in the past.

"It also provide the accommodation that students are looking for. It doesn't have any ensuite accommodation.

"So the driver and the rationale is to replace that with high quality accommodation to attract students and meet the university's needs, and to take the development out of the flood plain and to replace open space."

Bosses say the new student village is being built with the environment and accessibility in mind (Staffordshire University).

Achieving carbon neutrality and biodiversity aims are also key considerations.

Ms Payne said: "The art of land that's proposed where the building is going to take place is green space –  and that's going to be replaced by green space on the campus, and the green heart of the campus."

Accessibility for all is another important aspect of the designs.

Ms Payne said: "There will be level access from the Catalyst building, there'll be an open vista as you're walking across to the board walk and the bridge which will go across the river to the new student village.

"There'll be level access to the hub building, which then provides a link with the student accommodation – enabling people who are dependent on wheelchairs, or need to use a lift, to be able to go up inside the hub building and then access the student accommodation on different levels throughout the site, as it is quite a steely sloping site."

The university sent more than 200 letters to its neighbours, inviting them to share their views on the proposals.

The university's vice chancellor, Prof Martin Jones believes it's an exciting time for the area.

The university sent more than 200 letters to its neighbours, inviting them to share their views (Staffordshire University).

He said: "This is a world-class facility in terms of student experience, in the heart of Stoke-on-Trent.

"It's about increasing the student experience, it's about bringing nature and sustainability – this is where we've got a nature reserve and the River Trent.

"It's also part of the urban quarter of Stoke. We've got the Goods Yard, the Catalyst Building. In a sense it's a rebirth of this area of Stoke-on-Trent."

Prof Jones said the nearby forest school and nursery have won sustainability awards, and that the new development aimed to sensitively combine urban and natural environments.

Some existing accommodation will be refurbished as part of the development, to bring it up to modern specifications.

Prof Jones said: "We're refurbishing the Clarice Cliff building, so there are 1,000 beds in total in this project but it's about quality as well as quantity.

"I'd rather have higher quality than the quantity here and I think it will drive the quality up.

It will be a challenge to the private sector as well, I think it will disturb the market in the search for better accommodation in this part of Stoke-on-Trent.

"Accessibility runs through this project like a stick of rock – in all the ramping and in all the landscaping. In all aspects it's been designed to represent our student body here."

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