Plans submitted for six-block development in Barnet with hotel, housing and student accommodation

Community and commercial space will make up a large part of the scheme. There will be a park at the north end of the site, a health centre, sports and fitness centre, swimming pool, climbing wall and indoor soft-play area.

An interconnected podium between the towers will provide amenities integrated at street, mezzanine and podium levels.

If approved, construction for the scheme could begin in 2029 and be phased over the first years of the 2030s, with each tower expected to take around three years to complete.

The scheme was drawn up by architects Arney Fender Katsalidis, and the structural engineers on the design team are Heyne Tillett Steel.

The application comes as a recent report found that the number of student homes approved in London had risen by 474% in two years and was forecast to grow further this year.

The number of student beds approved in the capital rose from 2,621 in 2022 to 15,041 in 2024, according to planning consultancy Lichfields. That increase is well above the Greater London Authority’s delivery target of 3,500 beds per year set in 2022.

Student-bed approvals are forecast to hit 17,172 in 2025, the consultancy said, which would be a 555% increase over three years. There are currently 41 live planning applications for more than 19,600 student beds in London.

Questions remain in the student accommodation sector about whether providers can shift their business to meet the needs of domestic students. Inside Housing recently looked at how business models can address their needs and unlock new opportunities.