Birmingham City Council has approved plans for a major purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) scheme in the city centre. The scheme, being delivered by asset manager Linden Hill Capital Management, involved a major retrofit and that will see the existing five-storey structure extended to ten storeys to provide 383 new PBSA units.

Facilities will include 164 bike spaces and a retained basement car park for this highly sustainable central location. Other amenities will include, study areas, a communal dining hall, games room and gym.

Maple House is a 62,500 sq ft office building originally built in the 1960’s and significantly reworked in the 1990s, which includes some ground floor retail.

The ongoing transformation of Birmingham City – centred around New Street, Snow Hill, Moor Street and the upcoming HS2 station, as well undersupply of PBSA within the city centre, presented an opportunity to repurpose and revitalise Maple House in line with evolving requirements.

Antony Harding, Director in LSH’s Planning, Regeneration + Infrastructure team, said: “This is a major step forward in terms of addressing the current undersupply of quality student accommodation, at a location providing the benefits of city living, whilst also being closely connected to further and higher education facilities. We are pleased to have played our part in establishing what is a ‘solid’ commercial consent for the client; delegated approval, no S106 or CIL and efficient use of conditions – which prove the investment potential for the buildings much needed revitalisation.”.

Peter Brenton, Investment Director at Linden Hill Capital Management, said: “We are grateful to Birmingham City Council for their collaborative approach and to our planning advisors, LSH, for a swift execution that brings clarity and certainty to this development”.

LSH provided planning and public consultation services focused on the reworking of Maple House for a 383-bedspace PBSA scheme. This involved extensive pre-application engagement work with Birmingham City Council and Historic England, in helping establish the appropriate balance between design-heritage-building expansion, by working collaboratively with the architect, client and lead officers in exploring building typology and townscape.