The property company behind the regeneration of the former Silver Blades ice rink is now looking to tap into Birmingham's burgeoning student accommodation market.
Bouygues Development signed a joint venture in the summer with Hallmark Investments to turn the former Pershore Street ice rink into flats following its closure in May.
Now, the London-based firm has lodged new plans for a major halls of residence close to Five Ways Island, in Edgbaston.
It is seeking permission to demolish the existing 1970s 'Bath Court' office building, on the corner of Bath Row and Islington Row Middleway, and erect a 435-bed student block with parking, gym, other ancillary facilities and a ground floor retail unit.
The floor area across the proposed 11-storey tower totals just under 130,000 sq ft comprising studio apartments and shared flats of either six or eight bedrooms.
It joins a long list of student accommodation projects currently with city planners, particularly in Selly Oak aimed at serving the University of Birmingham.
A statement prepared by consultancy Brooke Smith Planning said: "The demand report accompanying this application demonstrates that, although there is already a significant amount of student accommodation in Birmingham, a development with the right mix of room types and rental levels would be attractive.
"Student population in Birmingham stood at 50,600 in 2012/13 and this represents a growth of 12 per cent over the previous five years.
"Bath Court could provide valuable city centre accommodation for all the universities but particularly for Birmingham City University.
"The stock of private student accommodation in 2014/15 in Birmingham totals approximately 7,500 rooms with a further 9,500 rooms provided directly by the University of Birmingham, Aston University and Birmingham City University.
"The advantage with this proposal for Bath Court is that it would serve all three."
