Versant Developments has purchased an empty patch of land in Newcastle city centre with the aim to transform the site into student housing.

Located on the corner of Westgate Road and St James' Boulevard, the land has been unused for many years but could now be turned into a 70-bed student accommodation scheme.

If the development goes ahead it will represent one of many student accommodation blocks in the city centre, with hundreds of bed spaces being created in recent years.

In response to the influx of student housing, Newcastle City Council recently issued new guidance to crack down on the number of student accommodation developments in residential areas. The new rules would seek to ensure developments could be adapted to alternative uses in the future, whilst also ensuring developments were not over-concentrated in one area.

The council is looking to balance the needs of locals whilst also meeting the needs of a growing student population in the city, which has increased by 68% from 25,000 in 2000 to 42,000 in 2014.