PLANS to turn a city centre office block into student accommodation have been resubmitted.
Fresh Start Living, a specialist in student accommodation, wants to transform Victoria House, which backs on to the Victoria Centre, in Milton Street.
It had bought the building from the shopping centre's owners in October 2011 with a view to work starting on the 157-bedroom accommodation in January last year.
But after discussions with the city council, it withdrew its application.
The firm has now resubmitted plans to the council, with fewer bedrooms.
If given the go-ahead, the new block will have 130 bedsits over five floors for students at the city's two universities.
Stephanie Sowerby, spokeswoman for Fresh Start, said the firm had a number of other projects in other parts of the country, which has led to the delay in coming back in with plans.
She said: "We are going to clean up and repaint the exterior of the building to give it a fresher look.
"The biggest refurbishment will be inside, where we will completely change it to create the student bedrooms."
The bedsits will be on the second to sixth floors.
The move appears to fit in with the city council's drive for more blocks of student residences.
The authority is keen to have more purpose-built student accommodation to free up houses in the city for families.
Last year, its former base at Lawrence House, off Wollaton Street, was turned into the 200-bedroom Study Inn.
The Opal Group opened a huge accommodation block in St Peter's Street, Radford, a year earlier.
Ms Sowerby added that the bedsits would be let to students from any university year through agents they will appoint.
A council spokesman confirmed they had received the application and that it had previously been withdrawn for no clear reason.
People in the city had a mixed reaction to the plans.
Stuart Lee, 48, who works in the city, said: "We don't need more student accommodation springing up. There's enough of it already."
Paul Anderson, 28, of Sherwood, had a different view. He said: "The students have to go somewhere and it's good that they are being moved to these blocks because it is freeing up houses in the city for other people who need them."
Student groups have previously objected to the idea of not being allowed to live in city houses, claiming they have the right to decide where they should live.
