DEMOLITION of a number of shops has begun to make way for new student housing.

The site of the former Iceland, Peacocks and Poundland stores in London Road, Brighton, has been fenced off, with parts of the building being torn down by excavators.

Plans to demolish the former 1930s Marks and Spencer store and replace it with a five-storey block of student accommodation were approved last year by Brighton and Hove City Council.

Some 156 purpose-built student flats will be built as part of the development, along with new retail floorspace.

The development will feature an entrance in Providence Place, which some residents had expressed support for as a way of tackling antisocial behaviour and drugs issues in the area.

The Argus: An artist's impression of what the new accommodation block will look like once completedAn artist's impression of what the new accommodation block will look like once completed

Speaking after councillors approved the proposals in February last year, McLaren Property development director David Atherton said: “This new development will remove a dilapidated building that has sadly been attracting antisocial behaviour and which local residents want to see redeveloped.”