A DEVELOPER has applied to build 45 student bedrooms in a new five-storey building off Park End Street.

Cantay Investments Ltd, which owns Victorian Cantay House, wants to redevelop a former garage behind the building into a five-storey accommodation block.

It is currently used as the main hall for Conference Centre Oxford, which has been losing money and is set to close in January.

Its owner now believes more money can be made by housing students than running the centre, and has secured planning permission to convert the front of the centre into offices.

Cantay House, built as a coal merchant’s warehouse in 1901, was converted into a conference centre and office block in 2007.

The planning application says: “Despite extensive promotion and marketing, including free use during February, March and April of this year, the [conference centre] was occupied at a rate of only 15 per cent of its capacity.

“During this period of assessment the centre made a significant loss, generating a gross revenue of only 30 per cent of the running and operational costs.”

It adds: “It was concluded in April 2011 that the operational costs of the centre far exceeded the likely income derived from conferences and room hire.

“The particular effect of lack of car parking rendered the centre unattractive to users from outside of the city.”

Under the plans, the building at the back of Cantay House would be demolished to make way for a five-storey accommodation block.

Two planning applications have been lodged with Oxford City Council: one to build nine two-bedroom flats, and the other for 45 student bedrooms.

Upper Fisher Row resident James Young said if large numbers of students moved into the street, more late-night disturbances were inevitable.

He said: “It is already ‘party city’, and this is going to make it even more so.”

He added: “As a city we should be trying to consolidate a sense of community, and student flats will bring a transient population of people not particularly committed to the community.

“There has always been a resident population in the centre of Oxford, and what the city council should encourage is key workers like nurses and doctors to enhance the area.”

Jericho and Osney councillor Susanna Pressel said: “It is good to get some residential premises in Park End Street, so it does not become a wasteland during the day and a place of iniquity during the night.

“The good thing about building student rooms is that, if they belong to a reputable college, it frees up houses so that students are not living in family homes.

“We would like to see them move into student blocks and free up houses.”

In August, licensing officials said Park End Street was “full” for late-night drinking.

They kicked out an application for cocktail bar Las Iguanas to extend its weekend licence from 12.30am to 2am, after complaints about regular drunken behaviour.