A 102-bed student accommodation block likened to a prison has been refused by York councillors.
Plans from Study Inn Investments Ltd would have seen an accommodation block featuring an onsite spa, gym and games room built in James Street.
Paul Harris, the applicant’s agent, said councillors should seize the opportunity to approve plans resulting in a £15 million investment and the creation of the equivalent of 15 full time jobs.
But Liberal Democrat planning committee member, Cllr Tony Fisher, said there was a chronic lack of outside space while some rooms would overlook a noisy bus depot.
The committee’s decision comes after City of York Council planning officers recommended that the plans should be refused.
Study Inn proposed building the block on the corner of James Street and Elvington Terrace on a site currently home to the Car Care Centre and Jax Motorcycles.
Plans lodged last year originally proposed a complex with 110 rooms which has since been changed to 102.
The block would be made up of studio rooms and cluster apartments with six rooms and shared kitchen and living facilities.
A health spa, gym, study spaces, games room and lounge area were planned on the ground floor.
The complex also featured cycle storage and an outdoor garden area but no parking was included in the plans.
Study Inn launched in 2009 and runs student accommodation blocks in Bristol, Exeter, Leeds, Leicester, Loughborough and two in Nottingham.
Three objections were lodged against the plans including one claiming it would see land for light industry lost and result in the over-saturation of student accommodation.
Council officers recommended refusing the plans, saying the building footprint was too large, offered little meaningful outdoor space and would not provide high quality accommodation.
Officers also raised concerns about the neighbouring First Bus Depot and it harming the comfort of students living there.
The company’s agent Mr Harris told councillors the benefits of the development outweighed the perceived harm.
The agent said: “We fail to understand how the view of the bus depot would be worse than noise from any other busy city centre route.
“These proposals represent a £15 million investment in York and would regenerate a prominent site.
“The alternative is to keep the site as it is which will likely result in no change there for the foreseeable future and no economic benefits for years to come.”
Committee member Cllr Fisher said that while the design was much better than other student accommodation blocks, there was much that weighed against it.
The councillor said: “There’s a chronic lack of external amenity space, it must be like living in a prison with a small exercise yard.
“That’s not sufficient for students paying between £200 and £400-a-week for their accommodation.
“The north facing rooms look out onto the First Bus Depot which while the buses are electric there will still be activities there making noises late at night.”
