Plans to transform Telephone House in Dundee into luxury student accommodation have been given the green light.
An application was lodged with Dundee City Council last year bidding to turn the ageing office block into 417 high-quality student rooms.
The building, which sits on the corner of West Bell Street and Ward Road, has been occupied by BT since 1976.
However, the telecom giant will vacate later this year when their new purpose-built office at West Marketgait opens.
Cinema, gym and yoga studio planned for Telephone House student accommodation
Under the approved plans, a range of accommodation will be created from the ground floor through to level six.
This will include 307 studio apartments and 110 cluster rooms.
Each studio will include an en-suite bathroom, study and cooking areas, whilst the cluster rooms will provide residents with a bedroom containing en-suite bathroom,
bed and study space and shared living area/kitchen.
A cinema, a gym with a yoga studio, study and game rooms, and a library are also included in the ambitious proposals.
News of the proposal was met with frustration from Dundonians when it was unveiled last year, with some believing not enough is being done to solve the wider housing crisis in the city.
Despite this, just one letter was submitted to Dundee City Council objecting to the application.
A further letter of support was lodged with the local authority, arguing the plans would provide “much needed and high quality accommodation for a students in a “very convenient area of the city centre.”
The company behind the application is Hindscarth Estates whose owner, Irvine Laidlaw, is one of the richest people in the U.K.
At one time he was reported to be the Tories’ biggest donor. He is believed to have donated around £6m to the party under David Cameron’s leadership alone.
Conversation