Rejected student block cut in height, but campaigners still object

Controversial plans for a new student block in Manchester have been scaled down following objections from campaigners.

The 13-storey student tower that was set to be built on the site of the old Gamecock pub in Hulme was rejected by the planning committee in May. The developer has now offered to remove three storeys from the proposed block, reducing the number of students it would accommodate to under 200.

But campaigners are opposed to any more student flats being built in the area and are now working with architects to come up with an alternative proposal. Protest group Block the Block has delivered 1,000 letters to neighbours of the Boundary Lane site about the latest proposal as they remobilise the campaign.

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In the letter, the group says it will oppose these plans as it did the original ones. It said: "This is not what Hulme needs. We don’t need any more students and it is changing the nature of our community.

"We need amenities for the long standing residents. We need amenities for the elderly.

"It is clearly a cynical insult from the developers, who do not care about our community but simply want to make a quick profit. They are protecting their profits at the expense of students who would be crammed into a smaller space, they would also have no amenities."

The campaign group is now working with London-based architects Unit38 on an alternative proposal for the site which could include some form of housing. However, one member of the group suggested that the ideal development would be social housing or an age-friendly scheme which they say is needed.

Residents have also called for more community