THE first phase of a £500 million project to modernise University of Sussex’s campus and accommodate 5,000 more students has been given the go ahead.

Proposals to create more than 2,100 new student rooms on the East Slope of the university’s Falmer Campus has been agreed at the city council’s planning committee this afternoon.

Councillors also granted permission to plans for a new union bar and entertainment venue as part of a new six-storey building.

The new student union is a recent adaptation of the university's masterplan for expansion and will see the entertainment on campus move from the grade I listed Falmer House.

Several 1970s student accommodation blocks will make way for the new development while new buildings will also be built on campus car parks.

Following the approval, University of Sussex bosses said work could begin early in the new year.

The first part of the development could then be ready for the start of the 2018/19 academic year and with all work completed by 2020.

The plans, drawn up by architects TP Bennett, are the first stage of a £500 million building programme which the university estimates will create 2,400 permanent jobs.

An outline planning application consenting to the university to build more than 4,000 student rooms, 60,000 sqm of new academic facilities and 2,000 sqm of additional floorspace was granted on appeal in July last year.

University of Sussex Registrar John Duffy welcomed the council’s decision.

He said: “This is an important project for the University so we’re very pleased with this outcome.

"This means that we will now be able to house more students in University-managed accommodation, which will take away some of the pressure of housing in the city.

“We know that many of our former and current students have a great affection for East Slope, and our aim is to provide modern, affordable accommodation that recreates the fantastic social environment.

“In considering the redevelopment options, we invited students to tell us what sort of facilities they would like to have in their accommodation and these results were fed into the design and planning process.”