Plans for a 20-storey student accommodation tower in Southampton city centre have been recommended for approval by council officers.

Knightspur Homes Ltd wants to provide 170 one-bed studio flats on the ‘Seaview Place’ site off Millbrook Road East.

The land earmarked for the development is currently an overflow car park for the neighbouring Southbrook Rise building, which is a former council office premises that was converted into 84 flats 10 years ago.

Members of Southampton City Council’s planning and rights of way panel will consider the purpose-built student accommodation scheme at a meeting on Tuesday, July 1, due to the number of objections received during a public consultation.

Thirty-four surrounding residents submitted their opposition, while there was one letter of support.

Concerns raised included the impact on residential amenity in Southbrook Rise, the size of the development being dominant and out of character with the adjoining industrial estate and neighbouring buildings, and an increase in potential noise and anti-social behaviour.

The comment in support of the scheme said the site was an “ideal location” for new student housing as it was well connected to public transport and within walking distance of local services and facilities.

Documents submitted in support of the application said the development would deliver a building that is “a slender, elegant and well-proportioned silhouette” on a “highly sustainable windfall brownfield site”.

Each studio would include a kitchenette and en-suite bathroom, while the building would also feature multiple common rooms, communal cooking facilities, a fitness suite, a yoga studio and a ‘sky lounge’.

There would be no on-site car parking for students other than on moving in and moving out days, and occupants would not be able to benefit from parking permits in surrounding streets.

The scheme includes 85 long stay cycle storage spaces.

An officer report to the panel said: “Additional student housing is supported in locations where there is good support systems and transport links.

“The development potentially reduces demand for additional student accommodation in less suitable areas of the city and assist in reducing demand for HMOs, thereby potentially freeing up family housing.”

The location was considered suitable for a new tall building and the scheme would make efficient use of this previously developed site to provide residential accommodation, the report said.

The officer added: “Whilst there would be some harm to residential amenity, this is not considered to be significantly greater than the extant permission on the site, and having regard to the overall benefits of the application, the harm to amenity is considered outweighed such that the application can be supported.”

Knightspur Homes secured permission for a six-storey building for residential and office use on the site in September 2019.

This proposal, known as Seaview Place, was technically implemented when partial foundation work was carried out three years ago, however, the scheme was “not viable” to progress.