Vacant Church Becomes Student Housing in Leicester

0:00Plans are in the works to turn a vacant church in Lester's Highfields area into student housing for 16 students. The spot at 6-8 Evington Street used to be the Universal Pentecostal Church, but developers from Cornerstone Property Management want to. Create two student flats and two shared houses, plus communal spaces, bike storage, and bins. Notably, there's no parking proposed on site. The church outgrew the building, which started as an industrial terrace before becoming a worship space in 2001. They already got approval last April to move to a bigger location at 1 San Bay Gate, handling up to 350 people instead of the old two, 150 capacity. Now the site's empty, and this redo aims to tackle Lester's big need for more student beds, locals seem on board with the change. Neighbors say it's better than an unused building, could boost the area, and even keep things lively without major headaches. One long time resident noted students might bring some late-night noise, but overall it's

1:00a win for the community and economy. The locations prime, just a short walk from the University of Lester and the train station, making it super sustainable. Developers point out the switch could cut parking stress compared to church days with big crowds, and they've got a management plan to curb any rowdy. Behaviour. Council planners will decide soon, unless objections pile up and it goes to counselors. This could be a smart fix for student living in a Thai market. You've been listening to Lester News today, AI-powered local news.