Plans to use a Southampton student housing site to support people on low incomes and those at risk of homelessness have been refused.

MYA Property sought permission to remove a legal agreement conditon which restricted the use of The Blue Box in Bevois Valley Road.

The agreement, which dates back to 2013, limits the 48 studios across the three to five-storey blocks to student use.

The applicant wanted to scrap this restriction to provide residential units.

A statement submitted on their behalf by Southern Planning Practice said: “It is argued that the property is not purpose-built student housing but self-contained flats with a restriction for use by students.”

The statement said the applicant intended to work with Southampton City Council to provide some accommodation for people nominated by the housing department.

Lettings would be on a minimum six-month tenancy agreement.

A report on the application by a local authority planning officer said the proposed model would provide residential units to support people facing homelessness.

Outlining the applicant’s proposed future non-student housing model, the report said: “Lettings would not be targeting ‘street homeless’ or unemployed people, it is simply targeting the need for low cost accommodation for the predominantly under 35s on low incomes, whether they be in work or out of work.”

The proposal was supported by all three Bevois ward councillors.

The statement submitted on behalf of the applicant said a number of the studios are currently empty as the demand for student accommodation had reduced over recent years.

However, the planning officer’s report said there was no evidence for this, adding that the recent influx of approved and pending applications by other student accommodation operators showed a strong unmet housing demand in the city.

The officer said the harm caused by the proposal would “significantly and demonstrably” outweigh the benefits.

“In weighing up the planning balance, the purported benefits of providing affordable and suitable housing for low income households to meet the identified housing need can only be given limited positive weight as this cannot be secured in perpetuity by the council along with the policy compliant affordable housing tenures,” the report said.

“There are number of aspects of non-student occupancy that would make the development contrary to the development plan, as well as adverse harm to residential amenity from the impacts of parking and living conditions and, therefore, these negative impacts would significantly outweigh the benefits of the application.”

The application was refused under delegated powers, with the reason given as the development was unacceptable in planning terms.