Darwin development: Plans lodged for 14-storey student housing tower in Darwin CBD

New plans have been lodged for a 14-storey Darwin CBD development. Read what’s planned.

Campus Living Villages has released its vision around the planned development of a 14-storey CBD tower at the old Darwin Primary School grounds, to be used for student accommodation.

The application, lodged by town planners Cunnington Rosse, said CLV would run the facility on behalf of Charles Darwin University.

Located beside CDU’s Danala Education and Community Precinct, the proposal consists of 357 student accommodation beds within single, studio, two-bed and four-bed clusters.

Disability Discrimination Act compliant rooms will be provided as well as internal and external communal spaces, study areas, gymnasium, administration and service areas for students and staff.

Student Housing at the old Frog Hollow.

Campus Living Villages is an international provider of on-campus, mainly tertiary student

accommodation which currently operates and manages more than 24,000 beds across 40 Villages in Australia, the UK and USA.

The development is planned for Lot 5672, Town of Darwin between McMinn and Wood streets at the old Darwin Primary and Frog Hollow art space site.

The site will be excised from the existing crown land parcel and provided to CDU for the development of the student accommodation. In turn, CDU will sublease the land to CLV to develop and operate the student accommodation facility.

The old Darwin Primary school site. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

When negotiations were first announced in October last year, architects Earl James and Associates said a new parcel of land would be created within the Frog Hollow site that would allow for the preservation of the old school buildings at the site.

Originally a workers camp, the site was home for decades to the old Darwin Primary School, which closed in the early 1980s, and was then used as an arts precinct for more than 20 years until that was relocated.

Signs have been posted for Charles Darwin University’s new student accommodation tower at 56 Woods St, Darwin. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin.

In October Mr Bowman said the accommodation would be designed and purpose-built for Darwin’s unique tropical environment.

“CDU has a goal of having 6000 international students by 2027, and this new accommodation will help support this goal and future goals as well as provide a safe space that supports our diverse student community,” he said.

“This partnership with CLV aligns well with our desire to enhance the student experience within a supportive learning environment.”

He said there would be future student housing needs going forward.

“I think there could be commercial (buildings) repurposed and there could be – for some students who would rather be with a family – some homestay opportunities.”

Last year the Government said international students contributed $169 million dollars to the NT economy as well as playing an important role in filling workforce vacancies.

Public comments on the project are open until June 27.

Originally published as Darwin development: Plans lodged for 14-storey student housing tower in Darwin CBD