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‘What a joke’: Readers react to Telephone House luxury student accommodation plans

An application has been submitted to Dundee City Council to covert the soon-to-be empty office block into 417 high-quality student rooms.

By Laura Devlin

October 18 2023, 3:26pm

Student accommodation plans for Telephone House on Ward Road. Image: Stallan-Brand.

Plans to transform the Telephone House building in Dundee have been met with a mixed reaction from people in the city – with one local labelling the proposal “a joke”.

An application has been submitted to the local authority seeking permission to covert the soon-to-be empty office block into 417 high-quality student rooms.

The building has been occupied by BT since 1976 but the telecom giant will vacate the premises next year when their new purpose-built office at West Marketgait opens.

If the proposal is successful, a range of accommodation will be created from the ground floor through to level six.

A cinema, a gym with a yoga studio, study and game rooms, and a library will also be created in the 1970s office block.

The company behind the application is Hindscarth Estates whose owner, high profile Tory donor Irvine Laidlaw, is one of the richest people in the U.K.

An artist impression of how the student accommodation could look. Image: Stallan-Brand.

News of the plan has been met with frustration from Dundonians, some of who believe not enough is being done to solve the wider housing crisis in the city.

Charlie Ness commented: “I’m finding hard enough to find a place to rent in my price range, all I’m getting is student places this will make harder.”

Ashley Gray said: “More accommodation for students than anyone else! What a joke!”

Phylis Clark also took aim at the proposal, adding: “What about people in Dundee who have been on the council waiting list for years?

“There is more than enough student accommodation already.”

Telephone House as it is now. Image: Laura Devlin/DC Thomson.

There has been some support for the Telephone House plans, however, with several people highlighting more student accommodation in the city would ease pressures on the private rental market.

Andy Jannetta commented: “Theoretically, if you create a building like this for students it should free up some of the private rentals in the area.

“So this should ease pressure on available homes and rental prices (for non students) which might reduce the council waiting lists?”

Jonathan Clark added: “More student accommodation means less pressure on the rental market, surely a good thing.”