Further planning permission extension sought for Dundee student accommodation build

KR Developments and 56Three Architects were granted planning permission to deliver a 242-bed build over seven storeys at the site of a former nightclub on South Ward Road back in 2022 and succeeded in extending the consent for an additional 18 months in 2024.

With that extension now also due to expire, the applicant is requesting another extension to commence development no later than May 2027, citing worsening market conditions for the delay.

In a planning statement, the applicant said: “Unfortunately, since that time, the commercial market conditions have proven to be very challenging for developers with the lasting impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, increasing construction and materials costs, and the general economic climate all accounting to further delay in achieving set delivery timescales.”

It added: “A significant amount has been invested to date in progressing the proposal and it is still the intention to develop the site for student accommodation, which is considered to be the most appropriate use for the site. However, it has not been possible to progress all matters to allow the development to start within the statutory time period of 3 years for the reasons noted above.”

The statement also notes recent data on student demand prepared by CBRE in February 2025, which indicated that there was an unmet demand. Their market research suggested that there were between 9411 and 10151 full time students currently in Dundee who potentially require but are unable to access purpose-built student accommodation.

At the time (Feb 2025), CBRE estimated there was a pipeline of 2799 beds (since that time there has been two further consents for an additional 59 beds). Assuming a pipeline of 2858 beds, this indicates that the levels of unmet demand still remain between 6553 and 7566 beds in the event of these being developed. Information also indicates that the student population declined by 9.9% in the 2024 term.