Councillors in Lincoln have flown in the face of advice from their planning officers and refused a 1,368-bed student-housing scheme earmarked for the site of a retail park.

Corstorphine & Wright’s proposals, drawn up for Standard Life Investments, would have delivered the new accommodation in 10 blocks of up to 10 storeys on part of St Mark’s Retail Park.

Planning officers had recommended the proposals for approval, arguing there were “clear links between the design rationale of the proposals and the wider city”, particularly in terms of its amended materials palette – which was switched from lighter brick tones to terracotta on their advice.

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