Community leaders didn’t want this 350-bed canalside student complex in their neighbourhood but it seems to be proving popular with the scholars themselves despite the price tag.
The most expensive gold balcony studios at The Towpath development next to Telford’s Warehouse in the Garden Quarter will be rented for £172 per week in a 50 week tenancy equivalent to £8,600.
Even the cheapest bronze en suite rooms cost £139 per week over 50 weeks, totalling £6,950 for the year.
Construction work is ongoing at The Towpath scheme by Watkin Jones but the three-block complex will open this September.
And operator Fresh Student Living, who also run Abbeygate in Victoria Road and Tramways by the railway station, say all studios have ‘sold out’ for the 2017/18 academic year.
However, bookings for first, second and third years are welcome for the en suite rooms with shared kitchen/living area.
Facilities include an on site gym, a social area with huge TV and games room, quiet study area, laundry, free wi-fi and superfast broadband. There is an on-site management team.
It was back in 2014 that members of the public applauded when the strategic planning committee of Cheshire West and Chester Council rejected the 350-bed scheme.
Worries were raised about the impact on the character of the neighbourhood, the Telford’s community pub and music venue and nearby streets because of parking overspill.
But the developers appealed and the massive scheme was given the go-ahead by planning inspector Roger Pritchard despite these concerns.
Later the planning committee gave permission for an 18-bed student complex adjoining Telford’s within the former Church of England offices, known as Diocesan House and Raymond House.
The promotional blurb for The Towpath states: “Design-led student accommodation sets up home with a variety of en-suite rooms and studios. Your new home will put you in the centre of it all; just a five-minute walk from the hustle and bustle of central Chester and in easy reach of a host of shops, banks, bars and restaurants.
“When the time to study comes there’s no better position; it’s a 12-minute walk to University of Chester and the Kingsway Campus is just a 15-minute bus ride away.”
