In Penryn, there have been two student housing schemes discussed last month – one which is thought to be the first of its kind in the UK, using shipping containers for student living space. There was an application of 264 rooms which would contain a health centre, innovation hubs, a swimming pool, a gym, and business units.
These prototype student housing shipping containers will be at the Penryn university campus until September 29th, available for touring from 10 am until 4 pm. This scheme is currently under Cornwall Council’s authority, and Irregular Cornwall wants to place the containers where the former Home Shed site used to be.
Could Shipping Containers Work for Student Housing?
Mabe Parish Council and Penryn Town Council, however, have opposed to this construction for it not falling under Cornwall Council’s allocation plans for development. There is also a concern about how it would occupy needed industrial space, about the drainage not being able to handle the increase in homes, and about the impact it would have on parking and roads.
Project Manager, Andy Cook, has stated that “We are in the process of a thorough consultation exercise starting with the existing tenants on the adjoining land in the next few weeks. Our ambition is to provide a thriving mixed use development that Penryn and Cornwall can be proud of. Somewhere people can study, work, rest and play.”
A Look Inside the Student Housing
The shipping containers have been fitted up to living standard to showcase how they would give students affordable accommodation. Hundreds of people have been viewing the prototype, both young and old, and the feedback is reportedly positive.
Each shipping container unit would have a four-foot wide bed containing storage underneath, clothes hanging space, an ensuite bathroom, and desk and chair. A television room, a communal kitchen, and a lounge will be available for every eight rooms, residing within three shipping containers that will be joined together.
Having been called a ‘Tardis’ for looking bigger on the inside, these units would be £99 a month, with bills included, which students have stated would be about the same space they typically rent a multiple occupancy house for between £500 and £680 a month.
These units are meant to be part of a bigger housing plan for up to 780 students and for private sector rented housing. It will include all the facilities students could need, a medical centre for Penryn Surgery and pharmacy, and a café and bar space. This would span 30,000 square feet of commercial space and 29,000 square feet of both parking and retail space.
What is your opinion on shipping containers for student housing? These units have been used for a wide range of housing applications, as companies adapt them for high-quality living standards. Here at Flintham Cabins, we have steel storage containers that are sure to fit your requirements.
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