Demolition of the shopfront of a former Marks and Spencer store has begun as part of a student housing development.

The building in London Road, Brighton, was home to Peacocks, Iceland and Poundland until earlier this year. Now work on a new five-storey building to house new shops and 156 purpose-built student flats is under way.

The area has been fenced off and part of the front of the building now removed. The development site is strewn with twisted metal and brickwork as bulldozers continue work to tear down the building, which dates back to the 1930s.

The Argus: Twisted metal and brickwork can be seen as development gets underway to build new student housingTwisted metal and brickwork can be seen as development gets underway to build new student housing (Image: Newsquest)

Plans for the new student accommodation block were approved last year by Brighton and Hove City Council.

The development will have 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.

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

It comes soon after another student housing block opened its doors earlier this year along London Road.