Plans for new 300 flat student complex in Derry's Strand Road now submitted

The outline planning application was recently submitted by developer, LCC, and seeks permission for construction of the building, which will comprise of clusters and studios and can house up to 307 students, as well as “landscaped courtyard and roof terraces, and all other associated site and access works”.

In an accompanying Design and Access Statement, agents TODD Architects said the proposed site lies on approximately 0.3 hectares of brownfield land at 128 to 137 Strand Road, which is “minutes from the university”.

The statement added: “The site is very well located in relation to the university, the amenity provided by the riverside and the nearby city centre, all of which will ensure that residents have the benefit of the city’s wider offer.

“The primary site opportunity is to make the most of the riverside setting and provide an exemplar high quality development within the key ‘Riverside Redevelopment Area’.

“The site is bound to the north by a two-storey commercial unit, the western boundary of the site fronts onto Strand Road, with River Foyle and promenade to the east.

“The Grade B1 listed Rock Mill to the south needs to be carefully considered in terms of scale, massing and architectural expression.”

The statement adds: “The existing river front public realm within this location is of relatively poor quality, so it is important that any new development on the site engages with the river front to activate the public realm and act as a catalyst for future regeneration.

“The new building will provide much needed physical improvements to the neighbourhood and introduce new residents that will greatly benefit the local character and economy during its construction and beyond.”

The application coincides with renewed commitments to expand the Magee campus to over 10,000 students in the coming years.

A widely endorsed report by the Ulster University Magee Taskforce on how that expansion can evolve was received and welcomed this month by Economy Minister Conor Murphy among others.

The independent taskforce body was established in March to develop and oversee an action plan for expanding Ulster University’s Derry campus to 10,000 students. It brings together a range of stakeholders including Ulster University, Derry City & Strabane District Council, business representatives, and the community sector.

In 2023/24 there were 5,337 students enrolled at Magee and the first taskforce report outlines what is required to achieve the target of 10,000 students.

The report estimates that £700 million investment is needed for new teaching blocks, research space and student accommodation and states that this extensive building programme could be fully completed in eight years.

Minister Murphy emphasised the strategic importance of the campus expansion in driving economic development in the North West region.

He said: “Increasing Derry’s student population is a key driver for economic development in the North West. There has long been an aspiration to expand Magee. We now have the basis of a plan, developed by and with local people, to actually deliver expansion.

"The Taskforce has set out exactly what is needed from various partners, including my Department. We will now work together to finalise a delivery plan and drive progress towards the 10,000 target.”

Andrew Balfour,

Local Democracy Reporter