McLaren lodges Liverpool student plans 

An old interesting, low-rise building but not worthy of listing, this site needs developing and this scheme looks ideal, just hope the anti-height brigade don`t get their way, even though other buildings of similar height stand nearby.
Meanwhile Fusion have still not commenced on the former Hondo site with their student build, even though demolition was completed months ago and hoardings are in place.

Initially resistant, but this scheme appears to have convincing scale and quality with nice touches that will up the game for the area. Cartwright Pickard debut for Liverpool?

We do not need more student accommodation, and certainly don’t need further car parking issues and higher levels of cars trying to park from the intended high number of student residents and their visitors.

I really like this design.

Great looking scheme. Huge improvement on the current streetscape. The current state is an empty outdoor bar and tacky furniture shop. Get this built with some decent ground floor retail

Good news, the site is an eye sore- I wonder if there will be any retail elements to the development

@ Vicki, when you say we do not need more student accommodation who is the we? McLaren are willing to risk money providing this type of residence and they must know there is a market,when the demand dries up these provisions will cease.
You also say we do not need car parking issues, but in a big city there will be cars, so do you want Liverpool to be a quiet backwater or somewhere with bustling activity, lots of academic opportunities for students, lots of jobs in business, retail and leisure.
Decades ago Liverpool was an unbelievably vibrant city with loads of work in business, manufacturing and the docks, if it was still like that our young people wouldn`t have to move away to settle and find work elsewhere as has been the case mostly since WW2.

We need community housing NOT more student accommodation Ffs.Also has no one noticed that the majority of students are struggling financially???

I don’t understand the often repeated view that we don’t need more student accommodation. Surely it is better to have our students residing close to their place of study, in purpose built accommodation, than in unsuitable residential houses in residential areas such as Wavertree.

Students are people, lots of families in Liverpool have sons and daughters studying in other cities in Britain, and guess what they require accommodation, also while they live in these other towns and cities they are part of the Community, studying, eating, drinking, shopping, interacting.

Nice looking building will fit in well will the massing of neighbouring building . Good to have students living in the city centre brings life to the city centre and allows more family friendly development in the traditional student areas like smithdown and Kensington. Just needs to ensure wherever possible HMOs are not allowed to fill these gaps

It is amazing how many people turn up to claim to speak for others but have never bothered to get themselves elected. The Roller Rink should stay that my opinion I don’t need a “we” to hide behind.

I object to our heritage being destroyed and student accommodation replacing it. Liverpool is losing its uniqueness with poor architecture and greedy development.

Although might not of listing grade, the existing building is an attractive earlier example reflecting life at its time in the historic Canning area. The upper large and lofty galleried skating hall is well suited for a modern use activity centre for the local community. I recall seeing a possible Banksy painting on staircase interior whom it was said has stayed a night in the building! It will be a shame to lose the building to be replaced by a rather unattractive warehouse looking design which neither attempts to reflect the Georgian character of the area or of a quality modern design to merit it.

Personally think this is a good proposal, and a proper developer too. I like the old rink, but this corner has ben blighted for a long time now – and a row of new retail/leisure units would be welcome.

Students need to be accommodated in the city centre rather than amongst general residents on Smithdown, Kensington etc, that would free up all those current student houses to be used for social housing.

Too many of these eyesores in Liverpool already .be better used for social housing

As a resident of this area (just two streets away from this proposal) I can firmly say that we do NOT need more student accommodation in this area. We are full to bursting. Students do not pay council tax so we have no increase in resources. The litter, noise pollution, eye sores that ruin the areas heritage and put production off filming which is just as good for our economy as students. Maybe better as at least film crews generate revenue, students do not add to resources.
These student let’s have pushed private rents up in this community to £1000 per month for one bed flats, forcing many long term residents out and into insecure housing situations in areas away from their jobs and communities.
All our once bustling local independent businesses, gone.
In January there were 1058 people and families in temp accommodation and hostels in this city. When are they going to build homes for them?! You know who are never in temp accommodation? Students because there are hundreds of vacant flats right through the year. One quick search of rightmove and rooms4u proves it.
Enough is enough.

I think up to now the objections on here to this development include; don`t want students (as usual), students have pushed up rents, students are struggling financially, possible Banksy on the staircase, destroying the city`s heritage,should be community housing, should be social housing, greedy developers (another regular objection).
Just to take one point, when the ice rink was built were the developers deemed greedy then, as I am sure they made a profit, also the owners of the ice rink must have been trying to make money too, there seems to be a section of the Liverpool population that just doesn`t like profit at all, but even builders of social housing make a profit, or is it surplus.

there is not enough affordable dwellings in the city centre for residents. And far too much for students. What happens when the student market collapses. Do the council really want not to have citizens living in town. The trouble with these cheap & short term buildings is that there is only one use: students. The council must insist that all student accommodation from now on must be built as multi use. So that there is room for people and families too. When students cease to be. lucrative the builds should be open for citizens of Liverpool who need homes near town.

@ Dr Mark Fisher, you recommend the council deem that all student accommodation should be multi-use , well have you not just read that the Lawless scheme in Falkner Street, which was around two-thirds rent and one third students, was rejected by the councillors, so much for that idea. It has now been rejected by the planning appeals officer because of lack of parking, so now we have a new reason for rejecting any development, ie parking, this city has a death wish.

All of these city centre student blocks should be banned. Hoovering up all the students from smithdown road and placing them in town will be the downfall of all the restaurants, takeaways and bars on smithdown. The council should be consulting with these businesses directly to see what the impact of No students Will be on their business. You only have to look at the student free area of the £1 houses. An entire block of empty, boarded up shops. This will be the future of smithdown / the Dales without the students.

I remember when that was the Rodney Youth Centre, with some of the toughest kids in the city. Happy days.

Anyway, @L, nobody films on that corner. It’s virtually always Huskisson Street, Percy Street, Canning Street and Falkner Square.

I wonder how many people supporting this application actually live in the area? The character is being completely stripped out of Liverpool 8 and parking and car issues in the area are also unbearable. I’ve lived here for over 20 years, since it was the red light district. The area gets flooded with entitled aggressive visitors and transient population who don’t care about the area, flytip, litter, vomit, urinate, make loads of noise, take drugs, park dangerously in resident areas, block roads and even seem happy to constantly park in disabled residents bays and when approached threaten residents with violence. This lovely building could be brought back to life creatively and have a community focussed use for the local population. So tired of these homogenous student developments.

The we in the comments by @vicky would likely refer to the long standing tenants who always bare the detriment of lost land and property (community assets) within our homes due to the students seeking their opportunity with the city council and University to manage our business but with their own interests overriding the initial purpose of their obligations yet finding planning tactics lime this to undermine and bully land and property from the righteous beneficiaries, All in their name!