Student apartment block planned for Glasgow’s Osborne Street

Student apartment block planned for Glasgow's Osborne Street

Ambassador Group has submitted a planning application to Glasgow City Council to develop 288 student apartments on a vacant site on the corner of Osborne Street and Old Wynd.

The proposed corner purpose-built development, designed by Mosaic Architecture+Design, is situated in a well-positioned student location, a short walking distance from universities, the main transport links and the city centre’s vibrant retail and nightlife scene.

Based on the company’s Nova student living concept, the design incorporates a community and sustainability-led approach with a focus on providing the best student experience and wellbeing environment. The studio apartments will benefit from a community lounge, co-working and collaboration spaces and gym on the ground floor, with bike storage and laundry facilities in the basement.

There will be a private dining facility with landscaped terrace for residents. The roof level will be a dedicated landscaped amenity area, also incorporating PV panels. Discussions are underway with the neighbouring charity art community WASPS to commission site-specific art.

The scale and massing development has been carefully considered in response to the site’s immediate context. The façade of the new development will consist of high quality robust and long-lasting natural materials which will respect the materials on the adjacent buildings in the street.

Ahsan Afzal, head of development for Nova Living at Ambassador Group, said, “The site has lain vacant for many years, and we are keen to reinvigorate the area and radically improve Old Wynd Lane currently deemed locally to be unsightly and unsafe.

“This is a quality development that will help support the city’s drive to address the lack of student accommodation which is having a knock-on effect on Glasgow’s economy. We are seeing 23% less available rental stock than pre-covid times which is making it very challenging for all renters, including students, to secure accommodation.”

The number of full-time students in Glasgow is currently the highest on record and is set to increase over the coming years with current research by property agents Savills showing that by 2026/7 four students will be competing for every student bed.

The planning application follows a series of public consultations and further information is available at novaosborne.co.uk.

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