Aberdeen city centre could soon have more than 900 new students living in it after the green light was given to two property developments yesterday.
The Matalan retail store on Constitution Street will now be converted into a site containing 145 flats.
Alongside this, the Triple Kirks on Belmont Street will be transformed into a block for a further 342 units of student accommodation.
However, concerns were raised by some councillors about the potential impact of traffic in the area surrounding Constitution Street.
Under the plans, residents will have their tenancy agreement terminated if they bring a car onto the premises, but co Jennifer Stewart said the plan failed to take this into account.
She said: “I have asked how many of the students the developers believe will have cars and I have been given no answer.
“There may be 300 or 400 of the students bringing them in.”
Councillor Jean Morrison added: “There a lot of leisure facilities nearby including the astrosphere and the beach ballroom, has the impact on these been taken into account?”
The planning gain was a bone of contention for the plans for a site on Belmont Street.
There had been an agreement that this would take the form of a pitch in Aberdeen Sport Village but councillors in the planning committee insisted that it should take the form of something closer by.
Councillor Andrew Finlayson, vice-convener of the committee said:
“It is unusual to specify the object of planning gain at this stage, community involvement is paramount.”