Green light for Staffordshire University’s Student Village

A new multi-million-pound Student Village at Staffordshire University has been granted planning permission

The plans were discussed by the Planning Committee at Stoke-on-Trent City Council on 20 March 2024, and they will now be considered by the University’s Board of Governors in the coming weeks who will have the final decision on the proposal.

The plans for the new Student Village, on the University’s Leek Road site, detail the construction of more than 700 new student rooms in a mix of cluster blocks and townhouses, plus the refurbishment of the University’s Clarice Cliff Court accommodation which currently houses just under 300 students.

A village ‘hub’ facility would also be built as part of the development, enhancing the vibrancy of the student experience with an events and wellbeing space, individual and group study areas and multi-activity spaces, as well as a rooftop terrace with an outdoor seating area.

The hub and village would be linked to the Leek Road campus via a new pedestrian bridge and boardwalk. A new car parking area would be developed on the former Squires View site to the east of the University’s campus to service the village and wider University campus.

Professor Martin Jones, Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive at Staffordshire University, said: “We are very pleased that the development has the support of Stoke-on-Trent City Council, and it will certainly work with other developments like The Goods Yard to create a vibrant area in which to live, work and study.

“The proposal we submitted reflect our ambition to completely transform the student experience at the University and provide more high-quality accommodation with enhanced service provisions and student social spaces.

“The plans will now be considered by the University’s Board of Governors.”

Sally McGill, Chief Financial Officer and Executive Lead for Sustainability at Staffordshire University, added: “The plans for the Student Village blend contemporary sustainable architecture with high quality facilities and would add significantly to our overall student experience.

“We look forward to the plans being considered by the Board of Governors.”

Pending approval from the Board of Governors, once construction of the village is completed in 2026, the University’s existing accommodation on Leek Road would be demolished to make way for new parkland and open spaces which would be accessible by the local community, as well as students and staff.

Open space developments would include an 800m fitness loop encircling the village with a surfaced path for jogging and walking. The parkland would also incorporate a new outdoor teaching facility for the University’s Woodlands Forest School which would make nature more accessible for local schoolchildren.