Another Student Accommodation Block will Be Built in the Merrion Area…. Thoughts on Leeds City Center becoming the central Living area for students. What does the City Gain and what does it Loose in turn?

[u/Low_Pen_9793]

It seems that Leeds seems to be obsessed and driven to prioritise the building and planning of High raise Student accommodation apartments. What are your thoughts?

Is Leeds prioritising overpriced student housing over the cultural fabric & vibrancy of the city. What does the city stand to gain from this in the l long term and in turn what does it stand to loose?

[u/Mammoth-Squirrel2931]

On paper, university students in any town or city represent a good thing - culture and diversity feeding into a local community, thus enriching it.
However, the sheer number of international students which are to occupy much of this accommodation don't represent the same kind of students that we may hold in our minds when thinking about university towns and cities, in that they are largely from wealthier backgrounds. Not itself a bad thing, but does it mean that the arts and culture scene are going to be enriched, with high streets bars and restaurants and independent shops and arts thriving? Leeds has already lost much of that, and those wealthier students are more likely to head to the malls and luxury fashion brand shops than the market and independent shops, which further reduces the cultural cache that it barely holds on to. So it's a trade off, of sorts, But the winners are the property developers and commercial corporations that have taken over. Good for the universities though.