UNE reveals the $55m Wright plan for more student accommodation

If the $55.5 million proposal is approved by the state government, the existing Wright Centre will be demolished and replaced by the new development, which will include four separate buildings, up to three storeys in height.

Three of the buildings will be for student accommodation, with a total of 114 rooms accommodating up to 342 students.

A two-storey student hub will sit in the middle of the three student accommodation blocks. The hub will have communal cooking and dining facilities, games rooms, a fitness room and a music room.

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The student hub will also include group study spaces and an admin office space.

The development also include landscaped "passive outdoor recreation areas", a comprehensive pedestrian network linking the proposal with the rest of the campus and an additional 188 car parks.

Documents lodged with the NSW government state much of the existing Wright Block was constructed in the 1950s and was "no longer desirable proposition for potential students".

"It no longer meets contemporary expectations for amenity and is becoming increasingly cost prohibitive in terms of maintaining relevant safety standards and the like," the documents stated.

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"There is increasing demand for affordable, high quality student accommodation which is not adequately met by the local housing market.

"As such, the New Wright Block project represents an ideal opportunity to increase the supply of high quality, yet affordable student accommodation.

"The proposal will also assist with maintaining UNE Armidale's status as an alternative to Sydney metropolitan based universities."

The plans are on public exhibition until December 18.