PLANS for a block of accommodation with space for 850 students has been submitted for a former golf course.

The application has been made for the former Mount Oswald golf course in Durham City.

Developers The Banks Group already has planning permission for 291 homes, student accommodation, a convenience store and GP surgery on the site off South Road.

The new application is for a 3.2 hectare plot of land at the northern end of the site, and includes proposals 11 new buildings, which would be a mixture of two, three and four storey blocks.

The site is to the west of land owned by Durham University, which has been earmarked as a new college for students moving to the city from Stockton.

John Ruddick, from The Banks Group, says: “The planning application we have submitted to Durham County Council is designed to establish the principle of developing student accommodation on a 3.2 hectare plot in the northern part of the site, the use for which is currently undesignated, so that we are able to move quickly as and when any specific scheme of this type is brought forward.

“The central location of the site, its proximity to other relevant facilities and the existing local infrastructure all make it highly suitable for this type of project, and we hope the members of the County Council’s planning committee will be minded to agree with us on this.

“Once we have a specific proposal for this site in place, we will as usual carry out a full consultation around it, and will ensure all interested parties have the chance to provide their feedback.”

Durham University has announced plans to expand by by about 4,000 students by 2027 and also has plans to bring around 1,700 students from its campus in Stockton to the city.

Last year, vice chancellor Professor Stuart Corbridge announced plans to build new college at Mount Oswald.

Jane Robinson, the university’s chief operating officer, said: “We are undergoing a legal procurement process to appoint a private partner to develop land that we own at Mount Oswald into a new student college with 1,000 residential places.

“The Banks Group have approached us with their intentions to submit outline planning permission to develop adjacent land at Mount Oswald, which will be for student accommodation of 1,000 residential places.

“The university has been discussing the proposals with the Banks Group, which are at a very early stage and have yet to be considered through the statutory planning process, which will involve public consultation.”