Almost 400 university students could be moving into a language school building next to Brighton railway station if planners give their consent.
They would move into student flats that were previously used by 14 to 18-year-olds from abroad who had come to Brighton to learn English.
The 376 bedrooms became vacant last year when Study Group closed Bellerbys College, at Voyager House in Billinton Way, Brighton.
Study Group said: “The building closed in 2019 due to the coronavirus crisis and, while it subsequently reopened post-pandemic, the associated economic challenges led to final closure in July 2022.”
Now the company has applied to Brighton and Hove City Council for planning permission for a change of use for part of the premises.
It intends to keep the classrooms as a separate academic space, with a view to leasing the area to an “educational establishment” such as one of Brighton’s two universities or a college.
Study Group’s planning application included a “letter of intent” – subject to contract – from Sussex University, saying that it was interested in entering into a deal for the student flats.
The letter, from the university’s director of estates, Robert Hutton, said: “We would intend to predominantly offer the rooms to postgraduate students but we may also wish to offer some to undergraduates.”
Mr Hutton said that the ground-floor restaurant would become a large communal kitchen in addition to 12 existing common rooms and small kitchens – and the first students should arrive in September.
The managing agent Mezzino currently charges rents of £185 a week but Sussex University would be free to set its own rent levels.
If it subsidised rents, which would include utilities bills and wifi, the university would pay the difference to Mezzino.
But the 33 parking spaces attached to the building would be for staff only.
Bellerbys College was founded in Cromwell Road, Hove, in 1959 as an offshoot of Davies’s College, which was started in London in 1929.
The Hove college was renamed when the principal Robin Bellerby bought the business more than 30 years ago. It was a tutorial college as well as language school.
It has had several changes of ownership since, including as part of the Study Group which was itself taken over by private investors.
It follows other Brighton and Hove language schools that have closed their doors after demand was squeezed by Brexit (Britain’s exit from the European Union) and then the government’s response to covid.
The college offered pre-university English education to 800 international students, including A levels.
To see the application and to leave a comment, visit the planning portal on the council’s website and search for BH2023/00582.
EU language students now favouring Ireland over Britain to learn English. Another fantastic Brexit win.
Why would they favour Ireland. It is more expensive, boring and the Irish speak terrible English.
Perhaps they prefer to go to Ireland because they think it might be less xenophobic and insular?
They don’t need a visa to study in Ireland.
Wouldn’t it be nice if, one day, the local news had a headline something like – Development of low cost housing for local working residents to be built/converted from an existing building in Brighton?
I’m not holding my breath though…
Perfect place for them, out of the suburbs which frees up family houses and right next to the station so easy commute to falmer. I’d much rather students were in these purposes built buildings than living next to families blasting music to the early hours and leaving rubbish everywhere.
Bevingdean is a perfect example of why we need more flats in the city
Once again, more plans for more homes for the Greems natural supporters.
I strongly urge Brighton residents to make complaints to the Electoral Commission to complain about this gerrymandering of the vote in the Greens favour in Brighton.
I am with the Bear Road resident, low cost housing for local working residents is what we need not more student flats. I disagree its the perfect place for them, far better for local people who work in Brighton to be near the city centre. Yes we need to reclaim areas like Bevendean for families but it won’t happen by providing student flats in the city centre.
Bellerbys Brighton was NOT a language school. If the journalist Hassan bothered to look at any of the still widely available literature or speak with Study Group, she would know it was a further education college teaching two year A-level and one year foundation university pathway programmes in subjects including but not limited to Law, Politics, Social Sciences, Science and Pharmacy, Media, and Business. There was also a flirtation with residential GCSEs for a few of its final years.
I contacted the journalist and exchanged messages with them this morning to correct them, they showed no interest in engaging with accurate reporting and merely pointed me to an obscure page on Brighton and Hove council website. A clear win for journalistic integrity in local reporting then. 😆
There is a distinct difference in the mindset of an undergraduate student compared to a postgraduate one. One is at risk of stigmatising these people, who are on average 27 to 30 years old into the standard student label stereotype.