Plans for a vast new block of student accomodation on the edge of Sandy Row in Belfast
Plans have been mooted for a massive block of student accommodation on the northern edge of Belfast’s Sandy Row district.
The proposal is for 870 bedrooms at a place called Murray’s Exchange, close to the new Grand Central Station. The plans have been drawn up by a group called Elkstone.
It said: “With over 85,000 students enrolled across Queen’s University Belfast, Ulster University and Belfast Metropolitan College, the scheme would address the continued demand for student accommodation.
"Indeed, latest industry reports suggest that there will still be a shortfall of almost 5,000 beds in the city after purpose-built student accommodation schemes that currently have planning consent are delivered.
"The residential units at the proposed Murray’s Exchange scheme will include a mix of clusters, with single bedrooms including ensuites, a shared kitchen, living and dining space and self-contained studios with private kitchens.
"The property will include an internal amenity space with a wide range of modern wellness facilities such as a gym, cinema room, study room, and a social hub."
The development site was formerly occupied by Murray’s Tobacco Factory, a portion of which has been listed and developed for office accommodation.
The remainder of the site has been vacant since 2005 when the factory shut.
The Sandy Row district is a largely loyalist one, and it is there that the worst of the anti-immigration rioting flared earlier in the month, with a cafe and a food shop burned out.