Protest over university’s plans for campus student flats
Residents set to take to the streets to protest against the plans
Some Southampton residents will take to the streets later to protest against plans for hundreds of student flats on a university site.
There has been some strong opposition to the University of Southampton’s plans for the Avenue Campus site in Highfield Road.
The latest vision for the development, which is still at the pre-application stage, features ‘townhouse’ style buildings providing beds for more than 400 students.
Following a second phase of consultation in late-2025, residents have organised a demonstration to showcase the strength of feeling in the community.
Protesters will depart from the Avenue Campus at 1pm and walk to the main Highfield Campus, where they plan to deliver a letter to university vice chancellor Professor Mark E. Smith.
All three Portswood ward councillors have concerns about the proposed development.
Cllr Kat Barbour, Green Party, said recently approved planning applications in Portswood would deliver nearly 600 hundreds student bedspaces.
Cllr Barbour said: “Now the university is proposing 400 plus student rooms at Avenue Campus and for me I feel the balance of student and local population needs to be maintained as it currently is rather than be altered by an extra potentially 10 per cent population into the ward.”
She said the Avenue Campus was a great environment for wildlife and there was potential to enhance this.
Cllr Barbour added: “There is a lot of local feeling that these proposals are not going to enhance the area at all because they already have a lot of students living in the area.”
Resident Ed Hill said the university needed to rethink its plans by using the land for its intended academic function, maintaining the parkland setting and not overbuilding.
Mr Hill said: “It’s so sad that the university who say they are community minded want to completely destroy the balance and community of Highfield.
“No one is opposed to students or university expansion but increasing numbers by 210 per cent in a quiet residential area breaks any trust residents have.
“This was a designated academic area and it’s completely out of keeping with the area to build a vast four-storey 400-bed campus.”
A University of Southampton spokeswoman said: “Our plans for Avenue Campus seek to maximise use of our own land to provide students with high-quality, sustainable and secure accommodation, enhancing their experience and helping to meet the future growth of the University.
“We listened carefully to local residents, students and staff during our initial consultation phase and have now reduced the proposed height and overall size of the accommodation.
“The updated proposal would also retain a number of existing trees on the boundary and would include additional tree planting in other areas, plus the maintenance of sufficient car parking to meet demand.”