Student flats approved for constrained Glasgow city centre site

The development, brought forward by Inehaze and designed by Lewis & Hickey, will deliver 82 student beds on Renfrew Street at the base of the Brutalist Fleming House. A total of 23 objections were lodged, raising concerns about overshadowing, residential amenity and the removal of daylight to neighbouring homes.

Planning officials described the proposal as a “small purpose‑built student accommodation scheme” on a constrained brownfield site, arguing the design is modest in scale and appropriate for its city centre setting. They said the project represents an opportunity to bring a long‑term vacant plot back into use with a contemporary building that aligns with the character of the Central Conservation Area.

The accommodation will be arranged in clusters of four to seven bedrooms, each with shared kitchen, living and dining spaces.

During reassessment, the scheme again addressed concerns over daylight and overshadowing through a series of design and material changes, including revised window arrangements to the south and west, the introduction of natural stone, and the removal of a requirement to use Fleming House’s basement for structural support and plant.

A supplementary report acknowledged that the Rose Street elevation falls short of the preferred 18‑metre window‑to‑window distance, offering around 16 metres, but noted this is “common and accepted” in dense city centre locations. Officers said the angled relationship between windows helps mitigate the shortfall.

The committee also considered arguments over height and building lines. While the applicant maintained that reducing unit numbers would undermine the project’s economic viability, planners stressed that viability is not a material consideration. However, they concluded that these issues must be balanced against the risk of the site remaining undeveloped indefinitely.

Councillors ultimately backed the proposal, supporting the redevelopment of a constrained Renfrew Street site that has resisted progress for more than a decade.