City of London has resolved to grant planning permission for a 644-bed purpose-built student accommodation scheme by Dominvs Group and supported by the London School of Economics.

Designed by Stiff + Trevillion Architects and Jonathan Cook Landscape Architects, the scheme will deliver urgently needed student housing in the heart of Central London.

Dominvs worked closely with the London School of Economics on the scheme, located at a few minutes’ walk from the university’s main campus. The LSE seeks to increase its number of student beds from 4,500 to 6,000 over the next 5 years, following the Government’s recent commitment to the enrolment of 600,000 international students by 2030.

The development will deliver high-quality space for student interaction as well as amenity space for the local community. Building upon the success of the award-winning meanwhile use Gaia’s Garden cultural project which was held on site, the ground floor will house a mix of cultural and performance space in partnership with the Creative Land Trust, a charity supported by the Mayor for London and Arts Council England, for the local community to exhibit artworks and collaborate.

The local community and wider general public will also benefit from an improved public realm, including a new viaduct connecting Holborn Viaduct and Snow Hill, as well as a gateway to the new Museum of London at Smithfield’s. The public will also have access to a roof terrace offering panoramic views across the east of the city towards St Paul’s Cathedral.

The amenities in the development include an on-site cafe/bar, cinema room, music rooms, games area and gym.

Students will also benefit from access to local public transport and 494 long-term and 32 short stay cycle parking spaces, of which 5% will be accessible for adapted cycles.

The development will target BREEAM Excellent and has been designed to be climate resilient – including urban greening and water-saving measures – with the aim of reducing operational carbon emissions.

The 644 rooms comprise a mix of bedroom types including studios, two-dios and ensuites including cluster apartments, with 64 rooms proposed as wheelchair accessible.

Jay Ahluwalia, director at Dominvs Group, commented: “From extensive consultation with the City Corporation and key local stakeholders we sought fresh thinking, submitting a scheme that enriches the existing neighbourhood while meeting the need for purpose-built student accommodation in the area.

“Our scheme introduces a new, highly sustainable building of exemplary design quality, including cultural and community use across ground floor level, a publicly accessible roof terrace with views towards St. Paul’s Cathedral, and significant public realm improvements, including active frontages and a new pedestrian route connecting Holborn Viaduct with the Museum of London.

“The application was brought forward with support from the London School of Economics and we are working with the Creative Land Trust to help deliver an exciting cultural and community use offer.”

Planning application ref. no. 21/00781/FULMAJ .