Appleby House, centre, is situated just off Moor Lane on Appleby Street and is surrounded by student accommodation

A former Victorian school on Moor Lane could be converted to make way for more student flats in the area.

Appleby House, formerly the St Thomas’s Infant School, takes up a plot of 400 square meters next to an area dwarfed by student accommodation.

Developers, Sargar Development based on Blundell Lane, Preston, want to turn it into five stories of student flats.

The new flats would according to the developers create a “high quality student accommodation development.”

23 rooms would be contained within the building, split between five self-contained flats.

A view from the air in 1929 of Appleby House, at that time the St Thomas's Infants School

Appleby House is dated to around 1910 and has fallen into disrepair since being changed into a drug treatment centre in 1987.

The plans have been backed by Northwest Homes, a provider of accomodation for students in Preston and who would be responsible for renting out rooms in the proposed development.

Hassium Vorajee from the firm states: “There is a shorttage of quality affordable all inclusive accommodation for students in Preston and hence combined with the location of Appleby House close to the University campus we should always achieve a 100% occupancy rate.”

The development would only include two parking spaces, but the planning documents argue its close links to campus mean students would be unlikely to bring cars.

The plans are due to go before the Preston City Council planning committee next month, and are currently out for consultation. You can view the plans on the council website. Comments on the application should be emailed to devcon@preston.gov.uk quoting reference number 06/2012/0380 and be sent by 09/06/2012.

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